Choosing the right approach to green your supply chains

Abstract

Purpose Due to the different institutional pressure such as those from market, regulations and competitors, companies have implemented green supply chain management (GSCM). Unfortunately, tens of GSCM practices exist. Whether all companies should implement GSCM and how to achieve both environmental and economic performance are still not clear for many companies. The purpose of this paper is to develop models that can be helpful for companies to identify right GSCM practices and implement GSCM effectively and efficiently. Design/methodology/approach Based on about 18 years of study on GSCM with four surveys in China in 2001, 2005, 2012 and 2016, as well as numerous site visits and interviews mainly in China but also in Japan, Germany and Canada, this paper explores institutional drivers as well as opportunities and challenges using theoretical analysis and case studies. GSCM is defined considering a product life cycle. A key three-step GSCM approach is theoretically developed considering opportunities and challenges through life cycle analysis (LCA) of a product and position of a company. Findings All companies should implement GSCM practices to avoid risks. To effectively implement GSCM practices, a company should understand the life cycle of its product and its position in the supply chain. A key three-step LCA-based approach can help companies to identify the critical GSCM practices. Originality/value A key three-step LCA-based approach for GSCM implementation is originally developed based on theoretical analysis and eight years of study.

Identification of environmental supply chain bottlenecks: a case study of the Ethiopian healthcare supply chain

“…For a detailed analysis of primary data, a general analytical procedure was conducted following a three-step procedure described by Zhu et al (2019). In step 1, SC performance was measured, in step 2 the SC processes with the highest environmental damage/burden were identified, and finally, in step 3 the specific environmental SC bottlenecks were identified.…”

“…Organizations encounter various operational risks from inefficient SCs. As an example, when the Sanlu milk powder in China contained excessive levels of melamine, it caused severe health problems but the cause of which could not be easily identified due to a lack of SC visibility (Zhang et al , 2009; Zhu et al , 2019).…”

Impact of Environmental Concern on Image of Internal GSCM Practices and Consumer Purchasing Behavior

“…Cross-functional cooperation for environmental improvements within the organization is also a major internal GSCM practice. Zhu, Sarkis, and Lai (2019) argued that cross-functional cooperation is the driving force behind GSCM. They argued that GSCM practices and audits by subcontractors associated with the company's supply chain should be conducted within internal management practices.…”

“…Eco-design is the process of reducing or eliminating stages that are harmful to the environment at the product's design stage (Zhu et al, 2019). Zhu, Sarkis, and Lai (2008b) defined eco-design as a stage in which manufacturers can minimize energy and raw material consumption.…”

The Environment Factors of Supply Chain Risk Management : A Conceptual Framework

“…Nevertheless, it is important to consider the factors of environmental issues in implementing SCRM strategy because nowadays, the main problem of industries is the issue of environmental pollution (Zhu, Sarkis, & Lai, 2019). In combating the pollution issues while the company managing their supply chain, the green supply chain (GSC) is one of the effective strategy to implement in an organization.…”