Quality practices geared toward environmental and social sustainability: Evidence from an emerging country

Orienting strategies toward sustainability has become a prerequisite for organizations to compete in today's world. This issue becomes even more pertinent when working in heavily polluting industries, often concentrated in countries with developing economies. In this context (Colombian textile-garment industry), the research objective of the paper is to analyze to what extent the adoption of quality management practices oriented to sustainable development (SQMP) generates the desired environmental and social performance for the organization, also considering the interplay between environmental and social practices and the potential effect of exogenous factors. A quantitative study was conducted using PLS-SEM for data analysis in a sample of 120 medium- and large-sized Colombian companies. The results revealed a positive relationship between SQMP and social and environmental organizational performance. In addition, the institutional factors analyzed had a direct effect on the implementation of SQMP. The results also show that environmental practices influence social practices. These results may serve as valuable arguments for the decision-making process of organizations when developing sustainability strategies.