Maatian Philosophy, Sustainability, and Global Value Chains

Purpose: This chapter proposes the application of an African traditional philosophy – Maat, a philosophy of the people of ancient Kemet or black Egypt – on environmental sustainability and global value chains.Approach: The chapter integrates historical, anthropological, and philosophical accounts in Africa to situate environmental management and global value chains (GVCs). After a brief review of environmental problems in Africa, the author discusses the Maat philosophy, followed by its application to environmental sustainability and GVCs.Findings: The chapter concludes with an integrated view and discussion of how the framework can be tested scientifically. This perspective provides an ethos to modern understanding of sustainability and global value chains in Africa.Implications: The perspective advocated in this chapter has implications for managing sustainability and GVCs in Africa. Approaches suggested by Maat for the moral, righteous, and just interactions between global buyers and African suppliers are recommended for implementation of GVCs.Originality: This chapter is original in the sense that it is the first to apply the Maat philosophy to sustainability and GVCs in the broader management and organization field.