Vol.:(0123456789) Environment, Development and Sustainability https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03881-y 1 3 Modeling the nexus of data analytics, sustainability practices and quality management: Evidence of key enablers Sayem Ahmed 1,2  · Tazim Ahmed 3  · Humaira Nafsa Ahmed 1,4  · Syed Mithun Ali 4  · Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez 5  · Golam Kabir 6 Received: 20 June 2022 / Accepted: 7 September 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023 Abstract Data-driven sustainable quality management (DDSQM) integrates data analytics, sustain- able practices, and quality management to improve product quality, customer satisfaction, and positive environmental impact in manufacturing organizations. However, organizations in developing economies are lacking superior performance in terms of sustainability, qual- ity, and competitiveness due to their unwillingness to adopt DDSQM practices. To encour- age adoption, the nexus among quality management, sustainability, and data analytics needs to be explored. This paper pioneers the use of the intuitionistic fuzzy decision-mak- ing trial and evaluation laboratory (IF-DEMATEL) methodology to explore the enablers of DDSQM and analyze the causal links among the enablers, which enhance sustainable quality performance. The proposed methodology is tested with experienced academics and practitioners in emerging economies. The fndings reveal that “Enthusiasm and commit- ment from top management”, “Crowdfunding”, “Application of advanced quality analyt- ics” and “Implementation of data-driven lean and green initiatives” constitute the most crucial enablers of DDSQM. The fndings may aid policymakers in emerging economies to adopt DDSQM. This research is one of few initial attempts to investigate the enablers of DDSQM practices through an IF-DEMATEL based methodological framework. Keywords Sustainable quality management (SQM) · Data-driven · Sustainability enablers · Quality management systems (QMS) · Intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS) · DEMATEL Abbreviations DDSQM Data-driven sustainable quality management SQM Sustainable quality management QMS Quality management systems QM Quality management IFS Intuitionistic fuzzy sets DEMATEL Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory IF-DEMATEL Intuitionistic fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory IoT Internet of things Sayem Ahmed, Tazim Ahmed and Humaira Nafsa Ahmed are contributed equally to this article and hold the frst authorship. Extended author information available on the last page of the article