Multi-Criterion Decision-Making Analysis for Sustainable Bio-Fuel Supply Chain

2019 ◽  
pp. 179-201
Author(s):  
Thangaraja J. ◽  
Vijayakumar M. ◽  
Yatharth Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Statistical Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Analysis ◽  
Fuel Demand ◽  
Biofuels Supply Chain

Present estimates indicate India's bio-fuel demand as 0.5 billion gallons in 2012 which will grow to 6.8 billion gallons by 2022. While fossil fuel science and technology is well established, the scientific understanding and technological implications of biofuels are not clearly laid out. In recent years, a large number of assessments have been conducted to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biofuels. However, contradicting results were noted in the published articles. The current chapter attempts to understand the importance of triple bottom line (TBL) aspects for the life cycle sustainability analysis (LCSA) over the conventional life cycle analysis (LCA) of biofuels-based supply chain. Along with energy and environmental indicators, LCSA also evaluates the economic and social factors. Hence, a statistical assessment with multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) analysis has been implemented to highlight and achieve coherence in conducting the sustainability analysis of biofuels supply chain.

BIM-enabled sustainability assessment of material supply decisions

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Ahmadian F.F. ◽  
Taha H. Rashidi ◽  
Ali Akbarnezhad ◽  
S. Travis Waller
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Social Impacts ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Material Supply ◽  
Trade Offs

Purpose Enhancing sustainability of the supply process of construction materials is challenging and requires accounting for a variety of environmental and social impacts on top of the traditional, mostly economic, impacts associated with a particular decision involved in the management of the supply chain. The economic, environmental, and social impacts associated with various components of a typical supply chain are highly sensitive to project and market specific conditions. The purpose of this paper is to provide decision makers with a methodology to account for the systematic trade-offs between economic, environmental, and social impacts of supply decisions. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a novel framework for sustainability assessment of construction material supply chain decisions by taking advantage of the information made available by customized building information models (BIM) and a number of different databases required for assessment of life cycle impacts. Findings The framework addresses the hierarchy of decisions in the material supply process, which consists of four levels including material type, source of supply, supply chain structure, and mode of transport. The application is illustrated using a case study. Practical implications The proposed framework provides users with a decision-making method to select the most sustainable material alternative available for a building component and, thus, may be of great value to different parties involved in design and construction of a building. The multi-dimensional approach in selection process based on various economic, environmental, and social indicators as well as the life cycle perspective implemented through the proposed methodology advocates the life cycle thinking and the triple bottom line approach in sustainability. The familiarity of the new generation of engineers, architects, and contractors with this approach and its applications is essential to achieve sustainability in construction. Originality/value A decision-making model for supply of materials is proposed by integrating the BIM-enabled life cycle assessment into supply chain and project constraints management. The integration is achieved through addition of a series of attributes to typical BIM. The framework is supplemented by a multi-attribute decision-making module based on the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to account for the trade-offs between different economic and environmental impacts associated with the supply decisions.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis for Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanesa G. Lo Iacono Ferreira ◽  
Juan Ignacio Torregrosa López
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Sustainability Analysis

A Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis is a complex assessment that requires time, expertise and quality data. Decision-making boards of industries required live data to manage their business. Although planned changes can be made pursuing innovation and sustainability within a wide timeframe, daily decisions are often driven just by economic indicators. However, many industries are already implementing systems, simple or complex, that allows them to obtain some environmental or social information related to their activities aware that not only economic value foster ther circular economy that our planet needs. Key performance indicators are excellent information suppliers that can be define either in the economic, social or environmental area of a sustainable analysis. Willing to develop a methodology easy to apply in existing decision-making panels that incorporates social and environmental indicators to fill the gap of a sustianibility analisys, this research group is exploring new protocols and procedures to define customized key performance indicators. The inclusion of key performance indicators based in Life Cycle Assessment in existing management panels will serve as a tool to make the commitment of our European industries with circular economy come true.

scholarly journals A Strategic Location Decision-Making Approach for Multi-Tier Supply Chain Sustainability

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8340
Author(s):  
Petchprakai Sirilertsuwan ◽  
Sébastien Thomassey ◽  
Xianyi Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Clean Manufacturing ◽  
Potential Risks

Few studies on supply location decisions focus on enhancing triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability in supply chains; they rarely employ objective quantifiable measurements which help ensure consistent and transparent decisions or reveal relationships between business and environmental trade-off criteria. Therefore, we propose a decision-making approach for objectively selecting multi-tier supply locations based on cost and carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) from manufacturing, logistics, and sustainability-assurance activities, including certificate implementation, sample-checking, living wage and social security payments, and factory visits. Existing studies and practices, logic models, activity-based costing, and feedback from an application and experts help develop the approach. The approach helps users in location decisions and long-term supply chain planning by revealing relationships among factors, TBL sustainability, and potential risks. This approach also helps users evaluate whether supplier prices are too low to create environmental and social compliance. Its application demonstrates potential and flexibility in revealing both lowest- and optimized-cost and CO2e supply chains, under various contexts and constraints, for different markets. Very low cost/CO2e supply chains have proximity between supply chain stages and clean manufacturing energy. Considering sustainability-assurance activities differentiates our approach from existing studies, as the activities significantly impact supply chain cost and CO2e in low manufacturing unit scenarios.

Building Theory of Green Procurement using Fuzzy TISM and Fuzzy DEMATEL Methods

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surajit Bag
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Fuzzy Dematel ◽  
Green Procurement ◽  
Expert Interview

Green procurement is the set of procurement policies held, action taken and relationships formed in response to concerns linked with the natural environment. Green procurement has drawn major attention of supply chain practitioners' and has become the theme of most of the seminars and workshops. Green procurement is gaining popularity due to its positive association with the triple bottom line. Firms implement green procurement to achieve sustainability in this dynamic business environment. There are several published papers that have adopted either qualitative or quantitative methodology to build and test theories in the discipline of green procurement. However multiple elements influencing green procurement creates decision making problem among supply chain practitioners. This has motivated to pursue the current study and further extend the theory of green procurement. The main purpose of the current study is to investigate the inter-relationships between elements of green procurement using advanced multi criteria decision making techniques. First systematic review of literature is done to identify the leading drivers. Secondly these drivers were refined through expert interview from manufacturing sector. Thirdly Fuzzy TISM and Fuzzy DEMATEL method were applied to find the intensity of influence of green procurement drivers and make a comparative study of elements. Finally, the conclusions of research are drawn and also present the managerial implications and directions of future research.

Design of Equipment’s Transportation Programs and Transport Activities

2012 ◽  
Vol 569 ◽  
pp. 769-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Deng ◽  
Nai Chao Wang ◽  
Lin Ma
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Logistics System ◽  
Logistics Industry ◽  
Entire Life ◽  
Entire Life Cycle

With the developing of global trade, the role assumed by the logistics industry is increasing important. Transportation act as the main pillars of the logistics system, connecting suppliers, manufactures and customers Transportation is a means of connecting scatted factories and warehouses of the entire supply chain. Traditional transportation design emphasis on design and means of transportation decision-making on transport nodes and networks. In this article, transportation is designed based on systems engineering, considering the entire life cycle of the equipment . The factors in transport program is given in detail to be considered in the design of the equipment life cycle transport program, and gives the design process of the transport activity.

scholarly journals Unravelling Mickey Mouse: The Effect of Supply Chain Position and Organisational Slack on the Uneven Balance of Sustainability Dimensions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13623
Author(s):  
Sini Laari ◽  
Tomi Solakivi ◽  
Anu Bask ◽  
Juuso Töyli ◽  
Lauri Ojala
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Triple Bottom Line ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Mickey Mouse ◽  
Environmental Considerations ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

This paper contributes to a less-studied area on how a firm’s position in the supply chain influences triple-bottom-line considerations in strategic decision making. We also contribute to previous research on a nuanced understanding of unabsorbed organisational slack as an antecedent to the triple-bottom-line dimensions of sustainability. The research data comprises survey data and financial reporting data from 508 manufacturing and trading firms operating in Finland, divided among four supply chain tiers. The economic dimension dominates the decision making on all tiers, followed by social and environmental considerations, resembling the shape of Mickey Mouse. Unabsorbed organisational slack is negatively related to the importance of economic considerations and positively related to environmental considerations. The results help firms in evaluating their position in terms of sustainability and in their redesigning efforts accordingly. The findings will also be useful in terms of promoting sustainability practices among supply chain members and policymakers in their practical efforts towards sustainable development.

scholarly journals Integrated BIM-Based LCA for the Entire Building Process Using an Existing Structure for Cost Estimation in the Swiss Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Naneva ◽  
Marcella Bonanomi ◽  
Alexander Hollberg ◽  
Guillaume Habert ◽  
Daniel Hall
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Building Information Modeling ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Building Process ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Existing Structure

The building sector has a significant potential to reduce the material resource demand needed for construction and therefore, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Digitalization can help to make use of this potential and improve sustainability throughout the entire building’s life cycle. One way to address this potential is through the integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into the building process by employing Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM can reduce the effort needed to carry out an LCA, and therefore, facilitate the integration into the building process. A review of current industry practice and scientific literature shows that companies are lacking the incentive to apply LCA. If applied, there are two main approaches. Either the LCA is performed in a simplified way at the beginning of the building process using imprecise techniques, or it is done at the very end when all the needed information is available, but it is too late for decision-making. One reason for this is the lack of methods, workflows and tools to implement BIM-LCA integration over the whole building development. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to develop an integrated BIM-LCA method for the entire building process by relating it to an established workflow. To avoid an additional effort for practitioners, an existing structure for cost estimation in the Swiss context is used. The established method is implemented in a tool and used in a case study in Switzerland to test the approach. The results of this study show that LCA can be performed continuously in each building phase over the entire building process using existing Building Information Modeling (BIM) techniques for cost estimation. The main benefit of this approach is that it simplifies the application of LCA in the building process and therefore gives incentives for companies to apply it. Moreover, the re-work caused by the need for re-entering data and the usage of many different software tools that characterize most of the current LCA practices is minimized. Furthermore, decision-making, both at the element and building levels, is supported.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Sustainable Bio-Oil Production Using a Mixed Supply Chain

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Mirkouei ◽  
Karl R. Haapala ◽  
John Sessions ◽  
Ganti S. Murthy
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Bio Oil ◽  
Potential Benefits

Recent growing interest in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requires the application of effective energy solutions, such as the utilization of renewable resources. Biomass represents a promising renewable resource for bioenergy, since it has the potential to reduce GHG emissions from various industry sectors. In spite of the potential benefits, biomass is limited due to logistical challenges of collection and transport to bio-refineries. This study proposes a forest biomass-to-bio-oil mixed supply chain network to reduce the GHG emissions compared to a conventional bioenergy supply chain. The mixed supply chain includes mixed-mode bio-refineries and mixed-pathway transportation. Life cycle assessment is conducted for a case study in the Pacific Northwest with the assistance of available life cycle inventory data for biomass-to-bio-oil supply chain. Impact assessment, on a global warming potential (GWP) basis, is conducted with the assistance of databases within SimaPro 8 software. Sensitivity analysis for the case investigated indicates that using the mixed supply chain can reduce GHG emissions by 2–5% compared to the traditional supply chain.

scholarly journals A Method to Include Life Cycle Assessment Results in Choosing by Advantage (CBA) Multicriteria Decision Analysis. A Case Study for Seismic Retrofit in Peruvian Primary Schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8139
Author(s):  
Ian Vázquez-Rowe ◽  
Cristina Córdova-Arias ◽  
Xavier Brioso ◽  
Sandra Santa-Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Final Decision

Building information modeling (BIM) is an emerging technology that improves visualization, understanding, and transparency in construction projects. Its use in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C), while still scarce, is developing in combination with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, such as the choosing by advantages (CBA) method. Despite the holistic nature of MCDM methods, the inclusion of life cycle environmental metrics is lagging in construction projects in LA&C. However, recent studies point toward the need to optimize the synergies between BIM and life cycle assessment (LCA), in which a method like CBA could allow improving the quality of the decisions. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to integrate LCA and CBA methods to identify the effect that the inclusion of environmental impacts can have on decision-making in public procurement, as well as comparing how this final decision differs from an exclusively LCA-oriented interpretation of the results. Once the LCA was performed, a set of additional criteria for the CBA method were fixed, including transparency, technical, and social indicators. Thereafter, a stakeholder participative workshop was held in order to gather experts to elucidate on the final decision. The methodology was applied to a relevant construction sector problem modelled with BIM in the city of Lima (Peru), which consisted of three different construction techniques needed to retrofit educational institutions. Results from the LCA-oriented assessment, which was supported by Monte Carlo simulation, revealed a situation in which the masonry-based technique showed significantly lower environmental impacts than the remaining two options. However, when a wider range of technical, social, and transparency criteria are added to the environmental indicators, this low-carbon technique only prevailed in those workshop tables in which environmental experts were present and under specific computational assumptions, whereas teams with a higher proportion of government members were inclined to foster alternatives that imply less bureaucratic barriers. Finally, the results constitute an important milestone when it comes to including environmental factors in public procurement in LA&C.

Environmental Criteria in a MCDM Context

2010 ◽  
pp. 74-92
Author(s):  
Ahmed Bufardi ◽  
Dimitris Kiritsis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Multiple Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
Reverse Supply Chain ◽  
Vacuum Cleaner ◽  
Environmental Criteria ◽  
Selection Of

This chapter addresses the main issues that are worth considering when using environmental criteria in a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) context and provides some guidance for a proper and efficient use of environmental criteria in a MCDM context. Among the main issues considered in this chapter, we can mention the definition and representation of criteria, their weighting, and their selection. The relation of criterion to other notions such as attribute, objective, goal, and indicator is also explained. Regarding the environmental criteria, we emphasize their main characteristics and indicate how these characteristics can support the users in selecting appropriate MCDM methods. An illustrative example about the selection of the best scenario for the treatment of a vacuum cleaner at the end of its life cycle is given. It shows the type of reverse supply chain problems in which environmental criteria can be used to evaluate and compare alternatives.

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