Decoding ESG Report Narratives: Unveiling Sustainable Supply Chain Insights and Impacts Through Textual Analysis

Abstract

This study explores industry‐specific sustainable supply chain (SSC) practices and their impact on firm value using textual analysis of 4791 ESG reports from S&P 500 companies. A novel SSC dictionary, developed using Word2Vec, highlights variations in SSC practices across eight dimensions—procurement, production, logistics, warehousing, distribution, transportation, retail, and supplier—across different industries. Regression analysis shows that emphasis on procurement and retail SSC practices positively correlates with firm value, with warehousing practices showing marginal significance. The research contributes to SSC literature by introducing a quantitative methodology linking SSC to corporate performance, offering practical insights for aligning supply chain sustainability with profitability.