Purpose This conceptual paper addresses the critical gap between green skills development and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) by proposing an innovative framework integrating industry-education partnerships to enhance employability in the sustainability sector. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review consulted Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles (2020–2025) using keywords including “green skills,” “sustainable supply chain management” and “industry-education partnerships.” From 87 articles identified, 68 sources directly addressing research objectives were analyzed. The paper integrates the capability theory, social capital theory and stakeholder theory through iterative conceptual refinement to develop the Green Skills-SSCM Integration Framework (GSSIF). Findings Analysis reveals significant disconnects between traditional educational curricula and emerging green supply chain competency requirements. GSSIF distinctively integrates five interconnected dimensions Green Technical Competencies, Digital Sustainability Literacy, Circular Economy Thinking, Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement and Adaptive Innovation Capabilities within a partnership-based implementation model unlike fragmented approaches, GSSIF provides explicit partnership mechanisms and implementation pathways specifically designed for SSCM contexts. Originality/value This paper presents the first comprehensive framework specifically bridging green skills education with SSCM practice through structured industry–education partnerships. GSSIF addresses growing demand for sustainability professionals while advancing supply chain transformation. Its theoretical grounding and actionable implementation guidelines distinguish it from purely normative or sector-specific frameworks.
Tathavadekar et al. (2026) studied this question.