“Sustainable Packaging Logistics”. The link between Sustainability and Competitiveness in Supply Chains

Abstract

Packaging is one element that can support and promote improvements and innovations in sustainable management of supply chains. This multifunctional vision has brought about the approach "sustainable packaging logistics" (SPL), which refers to the integration of packaging design, logistics management and new product development. The main aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to characterise the main aspects associated with SPL as a preliminary step towards constructing a conceptual model that can be validated in a quantitative way. Secondly, to carry out an exploratory study in the Spanish toy manufacturing sector in order to identify whether SPL deployment promotes changes and innovations in packaging that can lead to improved sustainability. The literature review was conducted via content analysis, and the methodology used to carry out empirical analysis was an electronic questionnaire dealing with aspects of SPL. The number of toy manufacturers participating in the study was 70. The results analysis indicates that further development of the main aspects of SPL actively contributes to better sustainable performance in almost all items considered in the study. The SPL approach is considered particularly innovative, because there is a scarcity of literature that deals jointly with packaging, logistics and sustainability from an empirical standpoint, rather than just the analysis of case studies.

How to Achieve Supply Chain Sustainability Efficiently? Taming the Triple Bottom Line Split Business Cycle

“…But there can also be negative distance and divergence of objectives, e.g., if increasing economic activity fosters economic success and sustainability but hinders environmental sustainability by increasing emissions and resource use. This is for example highlighted and discussed by a growing part of research literature as e.g., mentioned by García-Arca et al [198], Carter and Rogers [199], Mejías et al [5] or Andersen and Skjoett-Larsen [200]-sustainability and efficiency do not need to be enemies but can work together and help each other. It is the task and art of successful management (Drucker [201]) to lead sustainability and efficiency into the positive and mutually supportive direction with professional and research-based supply chain management.…”

Sustainability priorities across the strategic and operational level in packaging development

“…Research indicates the appointment of multidisciplinary development teams as a success factor for sustainability‐related consideration in development processes [e.g. De Medeiros (2014), García‐Arca (2017) and Johansson (2002)]. This research adds to this by acknowledging this factor and focusing on it in the data collection and analysis phases.…”

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Synthesizing Sustainability Considerations through Educational Interventions

“…For a product-packaging development process in which sustainability considerations play a key role, the sustainability guardian poses a valuable addition to a development team. Research indicates that the structured implementation of sustainability considerations in product-packaging development processes can benefit from a revision of team dynamics (see e.g., [36][37][38][39][40]). Within the scope of the educational module and the design game, we focus this revision on teams' multidisciplinarity (as described) and the role of a sustainability guardian.…”