Sustainable green supply chain management: trends and current practices

Author(s):  
Amol Singh ◽  
Ashish Trivedi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to give an up-to-date and structured insight into the literature published during the past decade on sustainable green supply chain management. It also suggests trends for future research based on the research issues identified through systematic and comprehensive analysis of previous studies in the area of green and sustainable supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach A state-of-the-art literature review is carried out by systematically collecting the existing literature over a period of 10 years (2005-2014) and categorizing it on the basis of attributes such as stages in supply chain, methodology and the industries/sectors under consideration. The classification of literature is also done according to the geographic region and year of publication. Findings There has been an increased interest among researchers and practitioners in the area of sustainable green supply chain management in the past decade. A need for achieving sustainability through adoption of greener practices has been universally felt, owing to an increasing environmental and ecological complexity. The review reveals that there exists a need to address behavioural issues like human resource management and supply chain partner relationship management. Moreover, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chain management and waste management are areas that need special focus to achieve environmental sustainability. Research limitations/implications The current review focuses on research trends in the past 10 years only. Moreover, papers from only good quality, peer-reviewed journals are considered in the study. Originality/value Most of the previous reviews have either focused on specific issues related to sustainable supply chains only or green supply chains. The present study collectively takes into consideration papers both from green supply chain management as well as from sustainable supply chain literature that have a prime focus on environmental sustainability.

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amulya Gurtu ◽  
Cory Searcy ◽  
M.Y. Jaber

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the keywords used in peer-reviewed literature on green supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach To determine the keywords that were used in this area, an analysis of 629 papers was conducted. The papers were identified through searches of 13 keywords on green supply chains. Trends in keyword usage were analyzed in detail focusing on examining variables such as the most frequently used journals/keywords, their frequencies, citation frequency and research contribution from different disciplines/countries. Findings A number of different terms have been used for research focused on the environmental impacts of supply chains, including green supply chains, sustainable supply chains, reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chains, among others. The analysis revealed that the intensity of research in this area has more than tripled in the past six years and that the most used keyword was “reverse logistics”. The use of the terms “green supply chains” and “sustainable supply chains” is increasing, and the use of “reverse logistics” is decreasing. Research limitations/implications The analysis is limited to 629 papers from the Scopus database during the period of 2007 and 2012. Originality/value The paper presents the first systematic analysis of keywords used in the literature on green supply chains. Given the broad array of terms used to refer to research in this area, this is a needed contribution. This work will help researchers in choosing keywords with high frequency and targeting journals for publishing their future work. The paper may also provide a basis for further work on developing consolidated definitions of terms focused on green supply chain management.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Siu Lee Lam ◽  
Jing Dai

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology with systematic metrics for logistics service providers (LSPs) to develop their environmental sustainability performance in the context of green supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – An integrated analytical approach which combines analytical network process (ANP) with quality function deployment (QFD) is proposed to develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance. In the approach, QFD is used to translate customer requirements (CRs) for “green” concerns into multiple criteria for LSP’s design requirements (DRs). ANP is used to analyze the inter-relationships among the various CRs and DRs. Findings – The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by applying it to a global LSP. A case study shows how the proposed “ANP-QFD” technique can be deployed to understand customers’ expectation for environment management and develop tactics and measures with the aim to achieve the desirable outcome for LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance. Practical implications – Firms that emphasize sustainability as a competitive priority will benefit by communicating sustainability efforts to customers. Therefore, “ANP-QFD” is an integrative method which helps develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance by enabling logistics managers incorporate the “voice” of customers for environmental concerns into their decision-making process. The study demonstrates how to develop LSPs to be greener in order to realize the requirements of green supply chains. The proposed integrated approach can also be applied in other decision-making scenarios for effective green supply chain management. Originality/value – Various approaches that can deal with multiple and conflicting criteria have been adopted for LSP assessment in the literature. However, they fail to include the impact of business objectives and the requirements of company stakeholders (customer in this study) in the identification of performance criteria for LSP. They also did not incorporate the environmental sustainability perspective. This paper contributes to the emerging research topic of environmental sustainability in logistics and supply chains by tackling these inadequacies in the literature. The study facilitates LSPs and the supply chains they serve in achieving better economic and environmental performance, thus leading to truly sustainable outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousaf Ali ◽  
Talal Bin Saad ◽  
Muhammad Sabir ◽  
Noor Muhammad ◽  
Aneel Salman ◽  
...  

Purpose China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects are widely spread throughout Pakistan with the potential to have a massive impact on Pakistan’s economic future. CPEC projects have, therefore, made it imperative that green practices are adapted to provide sustainability to the CPEC projects. The adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) framework will significantly increase the value attained from CPEC projects through the increased benefits to the socio-cultural and economic conditions of Pakistan without causing harm to the environment. The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank the GSCM practices for implementation in the construction industry of Pakistan according to expert opinion. Design/methodology/approach This study targets the experts who are employed as supply chain managers in the different construction industries of Pakistan. The opinions of these experts have been extracted through an online questionnaire that was based on six alternatives along with four criteria. The tool of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) that is a Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) has been used to analyze the results. Findings Six alternatives that have been used for this study are green design, green procurement, green production, green warehousing, green transportation and green recycling. The top-ranked alternative as a practice for GSCM is green warehousing followed by green production. The lowest ranked alternative in this study is green recycling. The alternatives have been ranked on the basis of “cc” values derived through TOPSIS. Practical implications As the advancement in the construction industry will definitely going to impact the environmental sustainability of the country, the results derived through this research will assist the managers of the construction industry of Pakistan to adopt best practices among green supply chain in order to lower their impact. Originality/value Framework using TOPSIS in order to find the best GSCM practice in Pakistan has not been reported before this study.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Green ◽  
R. Anthony Inman ◽  
Victor E. Sower ◽  
Pamela J. Zelbst

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the complementary impact of JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices on environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachData from a sample of 225 US manufacturing managers are analyzed using a PLS-SEM methodology.FindingsJIT and TQM are directly and positively associated with green supply chain management practices. JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices are complementary in that combined they provide a greater impact on environmental performance than if implemented individually.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is limited to US manufacturing managers, with a low response rate.Practical implicationsSuccessful implementations of JIT and TQM improvement programs support the implementation of green supply chain management practices leading to improved environmental performance.Social implicationsThe combination of JIT, TQM and green manufacturing practices improves the environment by eliminating all forms of waste and providing customers with eco-friendly products and services.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to empirically assess the complementary impact of JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices within the context of environmental sustainability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Cousins ◽  
Benn Lawson ◽  
Kenneth J. Petersen ◽  
Brian Fugate

Purpose Sustainable supply chain management has become an increasingly important driver of business performance. Understanding the contingent nature of how performance is improved in this context is therefore a critical task for management. The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating effects of two practices unique to sustainable supply chain – ecocentricity and supply chain traceability – on a firm’s environmental and operating cost performance. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 248 UK manufacturing firms and analyzed using moderated hierarchical regression. Findings The results suggest that green supply chain management (GSCM) practices are associated with improvements in both environmental and cost-based performance. Further, higher levels of ecocentricity and supply chain traceability are associated with stronger relationships between GSCM practices and cost performance. Contrary to expectations, high levels of supply chain traceability were found to negatively moderate the relationship between GSCM practices and environmental performance. Research limitations/implications The research design was survey-based and cross-sectional. Future studies would benefit from longitudinal research designs that capture the effects of GSCM practices on performance over an extended period. The survey data is also perceptual; using secondary data to capture environmental performance outcomes, for example, would be another opportunity for future research. Practical implications The authors provide additional support to findings that GSCM practices benefit both environmental and cost performance dimensions. In this context, the authors show that investments by firms in working with a broader set of eco-system partners (ecocentricity) and building supply chain traceability and leads to improved environmental sustainability outcomes. The authors encourage managers to carefully consider how they conceptualize and monitor their supply chains. Originality/value This paper offers several contributions to the research in this area. First, the authors develop and validate a measurement scale for ecocentricity and supply chain traceability. Second, the authors show how these two variables – unique to sustainable supply chains – can positively influence firm and environmental performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Li ◽  
Joseph Sarkis

Purpose This paper comprehensively and systematically reviews and critiques the product eco-design practice in green supply chain management studies. It seeks to explore drivers, barriers and initiatives of eco-design practice with a specific emphasis on China in comparison to non-China countries. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a systematic literature review approach. It also uses a conceptual thematic landscape of the global eco-design practice along supply chains to critically evaluate published studies. The Web of Science™ Core Collection database is used as the source. Findings Results show that although common factors exist, China exhibits a higher number of barriers, leading to an overall lag in eco-design adoption. China’s advantage lies in pressing market demand, actively engaged human resources and a cooperative culture. Alternatively, non-China countries demonstrate their relative superiority in eco-design tools, knowledge and innovation. Findings also indicate stakeholders simultaneously act as the three roles of eco-design practice in all countries, so do environmental regulations in China. Originality/value A thematic framework is introduced that can be used to further investigate and identify research opportunities. This study aids practitioners take stock of current eco-design management issues. It also includes pertinent recommendations on international eco-design performance improvement. It especially provides significant insights into successful eco-design implementation to green supply chains in China.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 683-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wantao Yu ◽  
Roberto Chavez ◽  
Mengying Feng ◽  
Frank Wiengarten

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend previous green supply chain management (GSCM) research by developing and empirically testing a conceptual framework that investigates the relationships between three dimensions of integrated green supply chain management (iGSCM) and multiple dimensions of operational performance. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on survey data collected from 126 automotive manufacturers in China. The relationships between theoretical constructs are analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings – This study generates important findings of the significant and positive relationships between iGSCM (internal GSCM, GSCM with customers and GSCM with suppliers) and operational performance in terms of flexibility, delivery, quality and cost. Practical implications – It is important for managers to simultaneously consider internal GSCM and GSCM with customers and suppliers when implementing environmental sustainability in the supply chains. Overlooking either internal GSCM or external GSCM may hinder their efforts to improve operational performance. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature by defining iGSCM that combines three main dimensions, namely, internal GSCM, GSCM with customers and GSCM with suppliers, and empirically testing its impact on multiple operational performance dimensions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 2248-2271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Kumar Sahu ◽  
Harendra Kumar Narang ◽  
Mridul Singh Rajput ◽  
Nitin Kumar Sahu ◽  
Anoop Kumar Sahu

Purpose Based on the existing literature in the field of green supply chain management (GSCM), the purpose of this paper is to find essential to conceptualize and develop an efficient appraisement platform for the purpose of benchmarking green alternative in supply chain network. Design/methodology/approach The authors explored multiple approaches, i.e. Višekriterijumsko kompromisno rangiranje (VIKOR), simple additive weighting (SAW) and grey relational analysis (GRA) by amalgamating fuzzy sets theory to select the most appropriate alternative for GSCM. The work is supported by triangular fuzzy number sets to choose the green alternative industry among available industries, while dealing with the uncertainty and vagueness in GSCM. A case study is exposed to identify strong and weak indices and to exhibit the feasibility of the proposed work. Findings It is requisite by the managers of many firms to identify the strong and weak indices relating their firms. Thus, the authors presented an approach for measuring and appraising the performance of the selected green alternative by determining the strong and weak indices. The presented work illustrates the performance measurement model that identifies comprehensive GSCM practices of the firms. The presented work incorporates green supply chain activities to support environmental sustainability throughout the supply chain. Research limitations/implications GSCM is necessary to the firms, as it considers impact onto the environment due to their supply chain activities. The authors build decision support system to facilitate the managers of various firms for modeling green practices in their decision making. The authors attempt to devise a conceptual framework linked with knowledge-based theory. Originality/value The authors conceptualized VIKOR, SAW and GRA methodology to rank and benchmark the green performance of distinguish alternative industries among available industries. Additionally, the performance measurement model for the selected significant green alternative is presented for determining the strong and weak indices.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hardeep Chahal ◽  
Ramesh Dangwal ◽  
Swati Raina

Purpose – The purpose of the study is twofold. First, to examine the domain of green marketing construct in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in emerging economies (i.e. India) across electrical industries and, second, to assess its impact on the SMEs performance. Design/methodology/approach – All the owners of electrical industries (SMEs) operating in Jammu District, that is, 152, were contacted using census method. Findings – The study identifies and confirms five factors, namely, greening the process, green supply chain management, green strategic policy initiative, proactive energy conservation and green innovation of green marketing as important dimensions of green marketing orientation (GMO) scale. All the dimensions of the GMO scale have positive and significant impacts on performance of the firms. In addition, there exists stronger impact of green marketing dimensions on the customer business to business (B2B) satisfaction and employee retention. Research limitations/implications – The research has certain unavoidable limitations. First, the study is based on only one sector, that is, electrical industries operating in developing industrial region of India and hence future research is suggested to comprehend green marketing in other green-savvy manufacturing sectors like pharmaceutical sector and service sector like hotels and hospitals. Further, the study has focussed on the development of GMO scale and future studies need to extend research to include variables like green satisfaction, green trust and green loyalty to understand their mediating role in green marketing and performance relationship. Furthermore, the moderating role of variables such as nature and age of the SMEs can also be studied in future research. Practical implications – GMO allows managers to understand how their firms facilitate green environment and they affect the business outcomes. Furthermore, GMO takes into consideration all important aspects (greening the process, green supply chain management, green strategic policy initiatives, proactive energy conservation and green promotion) which provide better explanatory power and identification of priority areas for managerial attention. GMO can be used by managers to determine which strategies and practices will have the most positive influence on employees’ outcome. Originality/value – This paper can help managers in identifying the perspectives of GMO in electrical sector for the developing countries. Unlike the three dimensions confirmed by studies, this study established five dimensions of green marketing, namely, greening the process green supply chain management, green strategic policy initiatives, proactive energy conservation and green promotion.


Author(s):  
Abednico Lopang Montshiwa

Purpose This study aims to present a competitive advantages framework suited for disaster prone regions in the era of climate change, present supply chain cooperation (SCC) as an integral part of GrSCM within the automobile industry and evaluate the competitive advantages framework merits based on SCC as a new implementation tool. Design/methodology/approach In an effort to address limited green supply chain management implementation strategies in disaster prone regions, the paper presents SCC as an economic, social and political implementation tool. To explore this; the study introduces SCC in a three-phase competitive advantages model adopted from the Barney 1995 model (with slight differences). Smart PLS 3.0 software package was adopted to carry out multi-variable data analysis. The study’s assumption is a capital economic system and bases its argument of analysis on stockholder theoretical lenses. Findings Big company size does not significantly affect SCC, suggesting that companies of all size can organize and enhance their network to be cooperative. Companies with cooperative supply chain network tend to have competitive advantages. SCC is also a viable way to manage business risks, be there internal or external. Research limitations/implications One of the study’s limitation is the stockholder theory it adopts, which shoulders its assumptions on a capital economic model of operation. Indeed, the study covered China, which is seen to be a communist-based economy. Another study’s limitation is that it narrows its data collection to disaster prone areas as documented by Guha-Sapir et al. (2012). Consequently, the findings of this study might be only applicable to areas that experience significant level of disruptions usually caused by disaster incidents. Originality/value The study is also the first of its kind to propose a model for automobile manufacturing in disaster prone regions. This is done by introducing SCC as an economic, social and political factor, while risk ranking is introduced as an environmental factor to constitute the external changes that Barney 1995 introduced.


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