The present thesis deals with the issue of sustainability in the supply chain. Sustainability is a very broad topic, thus a clear definition and delimitation of the concept is necessary. Reasons why sustainable development for businesses is important, as well as strategies for sustainability in processes, products, or entire organizations are also discussed. In particular, this thesis focuses on sustainable supply chains in the automotive industry. Models such as Green Supply Chain Management and Design for Sustainability are presented. An important aspect is the measurement and evaluation of sustainable management. Key performance indicators and methods such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process in combination with Fuzzy Set Theory, Linear Optimization or Quality Function Deployment offer opportunities for businesses to find the right sustainability aspects and to measure their effects. In the practical part of the thesis a set of requirements and future needs for suppliers of the automotive supplier MAGNA STEYR AG & Co KG is developed. In an empirical study automotive manufacturers and experts on sustainability are interviewed on the requirements for tier-1 suppliers in the supply chain. The results of this study will be used to aggregate those requirements, standards and future needs and generate a set of criteria that have to be met by suppliers of MAGNA STEYR AG & Co KG.