Emerging Applications In Supply Chains For Sustainable Business Development

The application of sustainability practices at the system level begins with the supply chain. In the business realm, incorporating such practices allows organizations to redesign their operations more effectively. Emerging Applications in Supply Chains for Sustainable Business Development is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the models, strategies, and analyses that are essential for developing and managing a sustainable supply chain. While highlighting topics such as agile manufacturing and the world food crisis, this publication is ideally designed for business managers, academicians, business practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students seeking current research on sustainable supply chain management.

This book presents a collection of studies on current best practices for delivering sustainable development policies within supply chains. It critiques the limitations of existing business theory and practice on sustainable supply chain management, and discusses opportunities for new conceptual models for businesses to engage with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines how businesses can work towards implementing Sustainable Development Goals in the contexts of entrepreneurial initiative, industry collaboration and regional development. SDGs renew the sustainable development agenda for global communities and ask businesses and organisations to reset their sustainable development policies. A strategy to embed sustainable development principles into business operations along the supply chain operations, which has been a conceptual and, in many instances, practitioner, business and industry achievement of the past decades, is not enough to shift the economic and social conditions of poor populations around the world. How would the global supply chains of the future look like? What social relations does it envisage? How will businesses and organisations engage with societies, environments and complex institutional contexts in emerging markets and developing countries, which are faced with issues of population growth, needed leaps in infrastructure provision, educational and health improvements, cultural and institutional shifts? The books challenges current approaches to sustainable supply chain practices guided by discussion on SDGs. It reviews implementation issues of existing sustainable development approaches, assesses the advancement of sustainable development strategies and examines the opportunities for global value chains to increase their positive social and environmental inputs in regions, communities and organisations. The book collects both conceptual and empirical studies set in a variety of business and organisational contexts, such as manufacturing, retail, procurement, cities and industrial parks. It contests the accepted axioms of sustainable practices in the global supply chains and proposes new models for organisations and production networks to engage with societies and address market and production effects on communities and institutions.

As we enter the 21st Century, we find ourselves faced by two major developments. The first is emergence of the supply chain as a critical strategic and tactical weapon. As has been pointed out by many researchers, with the emergence of the supply chain, the unit of competition has shifted from the firm to the supply chain. However, with the advent of the supply chain, it is important to recognize that we have to view strategic objectives within a context that stresses not simply the internal operations of the firm but also the elements of the supply chain - elements that include the supplier base, customers, logistics linkages, and relationships, both visible and virtual. We are now coming to realize that the supply chain is no stronger than its weakest link. The second development is that of sustainability. This is more than simply being environmentally responsible. Rather, it is overall sustainability as measured in terms of the firm's ability to reduce waste, improve profitability, generating strategic competitive advantages, and ensure that it treats its employees well. Sustainability is increasingly becoming at a minimum an expectation and a requirement for doing business (i.e., an order qualifier) and under many conditions something that differentiates firms and makes them more attractive to potential critical consumers (i.e., an order winner). These two developments, while often treated as separate entities, are interrelated. It is this interrelationship that forms the major focus and thrust of this book. This book presents the reader with an integrated, business oriented treatment of sustainable supply chain management that explores why it is no longer enough for a firm to focus on sustainability within the four walls of the firm. Rather, in today's environment, sustainability must involve the supply chain in a deliberate and integrated fashion. To succeed with sustainability, a firm must ensure that this outcome is not only present within the firm but is also present within the supply chain. As the book will show, the market and consumers will punish those firms that promise sustainability but are not able to deliver on this promise because of problems in the supply chain.

The aim of the book is to present the emerging environmental issues in organization and management of complex supply chains. The book includes set of solutions which show different stakeholders' viewpoints on sustainability. The scope of book takes into consideration how the emerging environmental regulation might be transformed into business practices. Therefore, the authors present the innovative approach to eco-friendly organization and coordination of logistics processes and supply chain configuration. A broad scope of practical solutions from different countries and industries is provided

The global sustainability challenge is urgent, tremendous and increasing. From an ecological perspective, the current worldwide resource footprint requires approximately 1.5 planets to sustain existing life, and with current usage would require two planets by 2030. The social impact of ever-growing resource use disproportionately affects the world’s poor – the 3 billion people living on less than $2.50 a day, as they struggle to acquire what is needed to survive. The serious ecological and social challenges we face in trying to establish global sustainable supply chains must not be underestimated, yet so far research has largely ignored the social dimension in favour of the environmental and economic. So how can we develop business strategies that move away from a primary economic focus and give equal weight to people, planet and profit? How can we create sustainable supply chains that take a true triple-bottom-line approach?Implementing Triple Bottom Line Sustainability into Global Supply Chains features innovative research, highlighting new cases, approaches and concepts in how to successfully implement sustainability – covering economic, ecological and social dimensions – into global supply chains. The four parts cover the rationale for sustainable global supply chains, key enablers, case studies showing clear implementation steps, and directions for future research and development.This book is a must-read for any academic researching in sustainable supply chain management, procurement or business strategy, and for business leaders seeking cases that will inform a critical step forward for CSR programmes.

This handbook includes three parts, corresponding to the following three domains of OR/MS research related to sustainability: (i) Systems Design, Innovation, and Technology, (ii) Manufacturing, Logistics, and Transportation, and (iii) Sustainable Natural Resource Management. The first part of the handbook (Chapters 2-6) will focus on the creation and development of sustainable products, services, value chains, and organizations from a systems perspective. Key areas to be covered include Green Design & Innovation, Technology and Engineering Management, Sustainable Value Chain Systems, Sustainability Standards and Performance Evaluation, and Circular Economy and New Research Directions in Sustainability. The second part of the handbook (Chapters 7-11) will concentrate on the major operational and logistic issues faced by today’s industries in pursuing sustainability. Key areas to be covered include Remanufacturing, Reverse Logistics, Closed-Loop Supply Chains, Sustainable Transportation, and New Research Directions in Green Supply Chain Management. The third part of the proposed handbook (Chapters 12-16) will center on major sustainability issues in managing engineering infrastructure and natural resources. Key areas to be covered include Renewable Energy, Sustainable Water Resource, Biofuel Infrastructure, Natural Gas, and New Research Direction in Sustainable Resource Management. The handbook aims to bridge the three main OR/MS research domains in sustainability: “Systems Design, Innovation, and Technology,” “Manufacturing, Logistics, and Transportation,” and “Sustainable Natural Resource Management.” Traditionally, these domains are treated separately in the OR/MS literature. By combining the three domains, the handbook will provide a more holistic treatment of MS/OR methodologies to address critical sustainability issues faced by today’s society. Unlike most existing handbooks which only focus on current OR/MS research in sustainability within a domain, this handbook will include a concluding chapter in each of the three parts to discuss and identify potential future research directions in each of the three main domains.

Sustainability is changing and changing rapidly. It is becoming more widespread as companies and customers uncover its power, attractiveness, and sustainability, as well as receiving more attention in the press. Support for sustainability lies within new tools, frameworks, and approaches. The authors capture these and other developments in this second volume of Developing Sustainable Supply Chains. In the first volume, the authors assess major management opportunities; this second volume focuses on implementation; when combined the result is a complete, action-oriented treatment of sustainability. Written by two of the leading academic researchers in this area, this series introduces the reader, whether a student, manager, or experienced sustainability advocate, to the various tools, frameworks, and approaches that work.

Businesses must create initiatives and adopt eco-friendly practices in order to adhere to the sustainability goals of a globalized world. Recycling, product service systems, and green manufacturing are just a few methods businesses use within a sustainable supply chain. However, these tools and techniques must also ensure business growth in order to remain relevant in an environmentally-conscious world. The Handbook of Research on Interdisciplinary Approaches to Decision Making for Sustainable Supply Chains provides interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable supply chain management through the optimization of system performance and development of new policies, design networks, and effective reverse logistics practices. Featuring research on topics such as industrial symbiosis, green collaboration, and clean transportation, this book is ideally designed for policymakers, business executives, warehouse managers, operations managers, suppliers, industry professionals, sustainability developers, decision makers, students, academicians, practitioners, and researchers seeking current research on reducing the environmental impacts of businesses via sustainable supply chain planning.