Orchestrating blockchain for sustainability-oriented supply chains: Empirically exploring the strategic role of technology providers in emerging countries

Blockchain technology (BCT) is increasingly promoted as a solution to persistent accountability gaps in supply chains, particularly in emerging economies facing weak institutional oversight. While prior research emphasizes blockchain’s technical capabilities, the role of blockchain technology providers (BTPs), the actors who design and sustain blockchain infrastructures, remains overlooked. This study addresses this gap by asking how BTPs enable blockchain adoption in sustainability-oriented supply chains. Drawing on actor–network theory (ANT), we conduct a qualitative multi-case study of fourteen projects in Brazil and Morocco based on twenty semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that BTPs act not only as technical suppliers but as socio-technical as focal actors who frame sustainability as an obligatory passage point, deploy interessement devices, codify roles into blockchain architectures, and sustain alignment through training, upgrades, and compliance mechanisms. Based on these insights, we propose a framework mapping BTP contributions across ANT’s four translation phases. The study advances theory by extending ANT to blockchain-enabled sustainability adoption, and it offers practical guidance for managers and decision-makers seeking to align blockchain design with ESG imperatives in emerging economies.