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- Supply chain sustainability: towards a maturity modelPublication . Correia, Elisabete Maria da Fonseca; Azevedo, Susana Maria Palavra Garrido; Remigio, Helena Maria Lourenço Carvalho; Lima, Tânia Daniela Felgueiras MirandaSustainability has become a very relevant issue due to several factors such as increased pollution, climate change, scarcity of resources, high waste, social problems related to human rights such as exploitation of child labour, lack of acceptance of diversity in the workplace and wage inequalities, workers' health and safety problems, among others. In this context, pressures also increase from different stakeholders, external and internal, for organizations to change their behaviour concerning sustainability. Given its role in production and consumption systems, it is considered that organizations can proactively contribute to sustainability. The integration of sustainability objectives /principles in all aspects of the organization, in different activities and functional areas, including those involving its supply chain partners and other stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, are critical factors for improving sustainability. Sustainability requires thinking beyond the boundaries of an entity or organization. To manage and improve sustainability in supply chains is essential to consider several aspects such as: taking into account a Triple Bottom Line perspective, where the different dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) are considered; have a short-term and long-term perspective; consider the expectations and needs of supply chain organizations and their stakeholders; and, integrate sustainability objectives at intra and inter-organizational levels in the management of the different processes or flows of materials, information, and capital between companies along the supply chain. However, embedding sustainability in organizations and supply chain requires developing efforts and the implementation of sustainability practices and creates some challenges for organizations. The main objective of this thesis is to propose a Supply Chain Sustainability Maturity Model that can be used as: i) a self-assessment tool to provide a diagnosis and broader understanding of how and which organizational sustainability practices are implemented in individual organizations and their supply chain; ii) an instrument to help develop a roadmap for sustainability behaviour improvement, and iii) a benchmarking tool to evaluate and compare standards and best practices among organizations and supply chains. A methodology based on six steps, suggested in the literature on the development of maturity models, was used to develop the model. The construction of the maturity model was based on a literature review and had the participation of five Portuguese companies in the mould sector for its improvement, application and validation. The model aims to mitigate the shortcomings of previous models and offer a holistic perspective aligned with the supply chain sustainability components. Thus, the model presents a differentiating character when considering three integrative perspectives: Intra and inter-organizational sustainability practices involving different partners in the supply chain; the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability; and other critical areas for sustainability: sustainability governance, product and process level, customer and supplier management, and focus on stakeholders. The model considers five maturity levels, making it possible to determine the maturity level for each critical area globally considering the company and its supply chain. As it makes it possible to monitor the progress of efforts towards sustainability, the model includes also a temporal dimension inherent to the concept of sustainability. Future research may help consolidate the model.