The impact of reverse logistics in green supply chain management: a system dynamics analysis

Author(s):  
Michael Mutingi

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Sylvain Charlebois ◽  
Paul Uys

<p>With consumer consciousness growing in the area of sustainable food supply, food<br />distribution is looking for methods to embrace, adapt and improve its environmental<br />performance, while still remaining economically competitive. Until recent innovative<br />solutions were developed, coffee pods have been considered as an ecologically unsound<br />approach to single-serve beverages. Some have argued that reverse logistics (recycling) is a<br />better option than green supply chain management (composting). With a particular focus on<br />coffee pods a case study on Club Coffee, which focuses on green supply chain management,<br />is presented for the design of a capacitated distribution network for a two-layer supply chain<br />involved in the distribution of coffee pods in Canada. Our investigation shows that Club<br />Coffee’s relationship is not only critical to fostering the green supply chain ideology, but it is<br />also unique in the business. Findings are presented and limitations and future research are<br />proposed.</p>



Author(s):  
Chengedzai Mafini ◽  
Asphat Muposhi

Background: South Africa has a high rate of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) failure, especially in the manufacturing sector. The operational challenges confronting manufacturing SMEs are acknowledged by the Global Competitiveness Index that ranked South African SMEs as one of the lowest in emerging economies.Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the association between green supply chain management (GSCM) practices, environmental collaboration and financial performance in SMEs.Method: The study is quantitative in nature and involves a convenient sample of 312 SMEs based in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data analyses follow a two-step process involving a confirmatory factor analysis to test the psychometric properties of the measurement scale and Structural Equation Modelling to test the proposed hypotheses.Results: The study shows that three GSCM practices, namely, green procurement, green logistics and green manufacturing in SMEs exert a positive effect on environmental collaboration, with green manufacturing exerting a higher effect than the other two constructs. In turn, higher levels of environmental collaboration inspired higher levels of SME financial performance.Conclusion: The study advances that SMEs can succeed financially through the influence of enhanced environmental collaboration, which emanates, in part, from the adoption and implementation of GSCM practices.



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.



2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zarinah Abdul Rasit ◽  
Maisurah Zakaria ◽  
Marshita Hashim ◽  
Aliza Ramli ◽  
Muzrifah Mohamed

Environmental issues have been critical concern among the current businesses as various business activities might pose significant threats to the environment. Incorporating environmental aspects in business operations is perceived to be able to create value and to achieve sustainable business performance. The manufacturing sector is the key contributor to the country’s high pollution index. Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices have become more prevalent in this sector in managing the environmental issues for the effectiveness of their production requirement. Nevertheless, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mainly are less likely to embark on environmental practices as compared to large organisations. The establishment of certified environmental management systems (EMS) is considered as a strategic management approach that defines how organisations will address their impact on the natural environment guided by ISO 14001 as a framework. This study provides empirical evidence examining the extent of GSCM practices among the SMEs through the possession of ISO 14001 and examines the impact on sustainability performance. Data were analysed using regression analyses. Results indicate that GSCM practices have a significant positive relation with sustainability performance. Eco-design practices and environmental cooperation have a positive relationship with sustainability performance. There is no relationship between green purchasing and reverse logistics practices with sustainability performance. These results imply that Malaysian SMEs adopt GSCM practices mostly through eco-design and robust cooperation among departments in dealing with environmental issues. Green practices and reverse logistics practices are still new for SMEs and do not contribute to achieving better performance.



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