Download or read book Tracking Environmental Impacts in Global Product Chains written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Tracking environmental impacts in global product chains - Rare Earth Metals and other critical metals used in the cleantech industry Metals form a central part of the global economy, but their extraction and supply are linked to several environmental and social concerns. This study aims to create a picture of the supply chain of Rare Earth Metals (REMs) and other critical metals used in the clean technology (cleantech) sectors of electric vehicles and solar panels. The study examines how Nordic cleantech companies are aware and acting on the challenges related to the lifecycle of these metals and what are the potentials to minimise environmental and social impacts. Recommendations of the study can be summarised as three initiatives: establishment of an awareness platform and roundtable initiative (short-term), research and information gathering (mid-term), and development of closed-loop solutions (long-term)

Download or read book Tracking Environmental Impacts in Global Product Chains written by Alina Pathan and published by Nordic Council of Ministers. This book was released on 2013-03-22 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracking environmental impacts in global product chains - Rare Earth Metals and other critical metals used in the cleantech industry. Metals form a central part of the global economy, but their extraction and supply are linked to several environmental and social concerns. This study aims to create a picture of the supply chain of Rare Earth Metals (REMs) and other critical metals used in the clean technology (cleantech) sectors of electric vehicles and solar panels. The study examines how Nordic cleantech companies are aware and acting on the challenges related to the lifecycle of these metals and what are the potentials to minimise environmental and social impacts. Recommendations of the study can be summarised as three initiatives: establishment of an awareness platform and roundtable initiative (short-term), research and information gathering (mid-term), and development of closed-loop solutions (long-term).

Download or read book TemaNord written by Alina Pathan and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book TemaNord written by Alina Pathan and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Information Systems and the Environment written by National Academy of Engineering and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-09-13 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Information technology is a powerful tool for meeting environmental objectives and promoting sustainable development. This collection of papers by leaders in industry, government, and academia explores how information technology can improve environmental performance by individual firms, collaborations among firms, and collaborations among firms, government agencies, and academia. Information systems can also be used by nonprofit organizations and the government to inform the public about broad environmental issues and environmental conditions in their neighborhoods. Several papers address the challenges to information management posed by the explosive increase in information and knowledge about environmental issues and potential solutions, including determining what information is environmentally relevant and how it can be used in decision making. In addition, case studies are described and show how industry is using information systems to ensure sustainable development and meet environmental standards. The book also includes examples from the public sector showing how governments use information knowledge systems to disseminate "best practices" beyond big firms to small businesses, and from the world of the Internet showing how knowledge is shared among environmental advocates and the general public.

Download or read book Environmental Issues in Supply Chain Management written by Paulina Golinska and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-06 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of the book is to present the emerging environmental issues in organization and management of complex supply chains. The book includes set of solutions which show different stakeholders' viewpoints on sustainability. The scope of book takes into consideration how the emerging environmental regulation might be transformed into business practices. Therefore, the authors present the innovative approach to eco-friendly organization and coordination of logistics processes and supply chain configuration. A broad scope of practical solutions from different countries and industries is provided

Download or read book Climate Change Adaptation and Food Supply Chain Management written by Ari Paloviita and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-20 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The success of the entire food supply chain depends on the prosperity of farms and local communities. The direct climate change risks faced by the agricultural sector are therefore also risks to businesses and food supply chains. Hence the importance of resilience at farm level, community level and business level when looking at food supply chain policy and management. Climate Change Adaptation and Food Supply Chain Management highlights the issue of adaptation to climate change in food supply chains, the management and policy implications and the importance of supply chain resilience. Attention is given to each phase of the supply chain: input production, agriculture, food processing, retailing, consumption and post-consumption. European case studies demonstrate the vulnerabilities of contemporary food supply chains, the opportunities and competitive advantages related to climate change, and the trans-disciplinary challenges related to successful climate adaptation. The authors argue for a redefinition of the way food supply chains are operated, located and coordinated and propose a novel approach enhancing climate-resilient food supply chain policy and management. This book will be of interest to students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers in the field of climate adaptation and food supply chain management and policy.

Download or read book Environmental Impacts of Global Supply Chain written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the last two decades globalisation has been a key variable driving economic growth and raising the living standards of nearly everyone on the planet, although not without cost. Indeed, the growth in world trade resulting from globalisation is now increasingly seen as an issue in the scientific and political debate on the environmental impacts of global supply chain and consumption. Most cost efficient locations around the world accelerate the trends towards international specialization causing some distortions of the markets in terms of the use of natural resources. The relative international competitiveness of companies in nations with stronger environmental protection regulations (haven hypothesis) is one argument for looking at alternative global environmental regulatory tools that are compatible with international trade agreements and development policies. Literature recognises that stringent environmental policies can force pollution intensive sectors to move to regions more favourable if the abatement costs are too high. However, trade is not a driver of environmental degradation, but the structure of the markets and the presence of market failures (externalities, no definitions of property rights) are the causes of environmental impacts. This report analyses the key features of global supply chain and its environmental impacts related to biodiversity loss, water conservation, raw material. The report provides a deep analysis on Climate change and global supply chain. It analyses the scientific, legal and policy components of the international debate over carbon and trade. It introduces and analyses the concept of the consumption-based approach and compares it with the production-based one. The reports highlights that policy makers should look beyond the traditional geo-political regions and a consumption-based perspective would represent a significant step in this direction in order to manage a sustainable global supply chain.

Download or read book Handbook on Environmental Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2023-09-19 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook demonstrates how OECD instruments on due diligence can be applied to address environmental risks and impacts in mineral supply chains by contextualising existing recommendations and directing users towards useful resources.

Download or read book Sustainable Supply Chains written by Tonya Boone and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-07 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sustainable enterprise is one that contributes to sustainable development by simultaneously delivering economic, social and environmental benefits or what has been termed "the triple bottom line." While pursuing profit, socially responsible companies should be sensitive to the environment and uphold the rights of all the firm's stakeholders. This edited volume explores leading-edge ideas — both by academics and forward-thinking companies — to (re)design and market products, source, manufacture, and eventually distribute and recover or dispose of them in an environmentally, ecologically, and socially responsible way. This edited volume is made up of fifteen chapters loosely grouped into clusters. After an introduction, chapter 2 shows the greenhouse emissions at various levels, from countries all the way to individual products. Chapters 3-7 each focus on an industrial sector and address issues specific to that industry, with chapter 7 presenting a case study on LEED certification of Miller Hall, home of the Mason School of Business where two of the authors (Tonya and Ram) work. Chapters 8-10 address product take back in the supply chain. Chapter 8 introduces e-waste and surveys what firms are doing to combat it. Chapter 9 provides an overview of existing take-back legislation and academic papers that have studied various research questions associated with them. Chapter 10 is a tutorial that addresses the problem of product disposition on a closed-loop supply chain: what should a firm do with a product return? Chapters 11-15 address measurement, monitoring, decision-making, and reporting regarding environmental issues in a firm. Chapter 11 provides an academic survey of eco-labeling and the consumer’s willingness to pay for them. Chapter 12 discusses how firms can measure the total carbon footprint in their supply chains and some of the strategies they can use to mitigate carbon emissions. Using the price of call options, chapter 13 illustrates how managers can quantify the savings attributed to sustainability-related investment. Chapter 14 develops a non-linear optimization model that addresses the complex trade-offs involved in making joint operational and environmental decisions. Finally, chapter 15 develops a Data Envelopment Analysis-based method for supplier evaluation incorporating environmental and business factors.

Download or read book Quantifying the Impact of Green Supply Chain Management written by Nandie Coetzee and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South African supply chains have moved from basic survival mode to a focus on optimised supply chains. These focus mainly on a reduction of inventory, cost, and lead time. The further shift to end-to-end supply chain visibility might be required to improve customer service and the competitiveness of supply chains (KPMG n.d.). The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported that, since the Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) in December 2015, six climate change milestones have been met. These milestones are: 2015 being recorded as the warmest year on record; record levels of heat was experienced in each month in 2016; the Arctic Sea ice currently at record low levels; a clearer connection between extreme weather conditions and climate change induced by humans; the impact of carbon-intense behaviour being more serious than predicted; and the Western Artic ice sheet is melting at a faster rate than previously predicted (Gilder, Parker and Rumble 2016). South Africa's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions constitute the largest single contribution on the African continent. If carbon emissions (CO2e) are not reduced, this will continue to grow exponentially. South Africa's emissions are placed in the top twenty in the world when considering per capita emissions. The intensity of the emissions, calculated as the ratio of emission to gross domestic product (GDP), is also above the world average and is similar to that of other industrialised countries globally, such as Japan. The indication is that the South African Parliament will implement a carbon tax from January 2017 (as predicted in April 2016). It is not a question of whether a carbon tax will be implemented in South Africa, but when (Gilder et al. 2016). From the above statements it is clear that there is a need to understand and quantify the impact of implementing environmentally-friendly initiatives on business profitability and sustainability. This would be carried out through a multiple case study approach at a global, South African-based, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, so that the carbon tax could be minimised and the impact on the environment be reduced. This will be the main objective of the study. To achieve this, objective, the following secondary objectives must be achieved in order to develop a framework that can be used to quantify the impact of green supply chain initiatives on the profitability and sustainability of a business' supply chain. The developed Green Business Profitability Framework is applied to a South African company's supply chain to determine whether the framework can successfully quantify the impact on environmental and business profitability. Yin (2014) emphasises that a good research design should address the research objectives or questions, the propositions, and the unit of analysis. The research design should also enable a logical link to the propositions and the criteria that will be used to analyse the results of the case study. This research investigates the difference between environmental management and green supply chain management (GSCM). Subsequently, the history and theories behind GSCM are highlighted. Different decision-making methods for GCSM are identified to address supply chain performance, environmental performance, cost modelling, and performance measures. Existing frameworks of GSCM are also analysed. The research study aims to answer how the impact of implementing environmental initiatives on business profitability and sustainability is best quantified in a South African business. Previous supply chain research is reviewed, and arranged in an end-to-end supply chain matrix view to understand on which areas of the previous supply chain methods, frameworks, and research to focus. This research suggests that there is a need to quantify the impact of implementing green supply chain initiatives in a company, based on the profitability and sustainability of that company's supply chain. Existing methods that are used to assess the business profitability and sustainability impacts of initiatives do not focus on monitoring the complete supply chain, from operational activities to longer-term strategic initiatives (Porter and Van der Linde 1999; Schaefer and Kosansky 2008; Marchal et al. 2011). In this study, carbon emissions are used as a measure for the impact of sustainability, and are combined with the activity-based costing (ABC) method to understand the impact on profitability as well. The analytical framework aims to help a company to evaluate the financial and environmental impact of sustainability initiatives, make strategic decisions to improve the business' environmental impact, and to operate in such a way to gain competitive advantage. The end-to-end supply chain view can aid the understanding of GSCM from a wider perspective, and can help the business to be more responsive to, and aware of, the impact of business decisions on its supply chain. The notion of business profitability impact, rather than performance measures, is used to evaluate the supply chain in view of the greater impact business profitability will have on the supply chain. Relevant case studies were identified and used to determine the impact on the environment and on profitability of implementing initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The supply chain operations reference model (SCOR) level 1 processes aided in selecting the case studies to ensure that different areas of the supply chain were addressed. The duration of the case studies was one year, because all the peak and off-peak times were included, and because financial performance is reported annually to the business and its shareholders; only then could the full annual impact be assessed. The developed green business profitability framework uses a combination of existing methods: the value-added analysis (VAA) approach, life cycle assessment (LCA), SCOR, product costing, 'cost to serve', the ABC method, the green supply chain operations reference model (GreenSCOR), and business profitability modelling (BPM). GreenSCOR enabled environmental initiatives to be tracked back to logistics operations, which made it easier to understand and implement. GreenSCOR also helped to link carbon emissions to their source, and to translate green supply chain actions into goals. Cash and Wilkerson (2003) noted that GreenSCOR helps with green management by linking best practices to the detailed processes; and, if it is applied, it can help to reduce carbon emissions. The framework of the South African Department of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as used to convert the savings into carbon emission savings. The green business profitability framework aims to determine the impact of green supply chain initiatives on business profitability and sustainability. The case studies addressed different applications of optimisation initiatives, from short-term to longer-term strategic objectives. In the plan case study, the framework was applied to determine whether it could be used to solve short-term network planning queries. The source area focused on long-term strategy development, while the make case study incorporated recommendations from a third party consultant. The deliver case study focused on modelling the impact of the current internal initiatives and market trends, while the return case study determined the impact caused by operational changes in the case study company. The results from using the green business profitability framework to model short-term strategic planning indicated that the reduction in kilometres travelled obtained by optimising the secondary transportation network was directly related to the total carbon emissions, but not to the increase in business profitability. In the case study, the net effect was reduced carbon emissions and increased business profitability; but it could not be assumed that all the distribution centres (DCs) would show a carbon emission saving. The case study results interpreting the third party consultant's environmental sustainability initiatives indicated that the impact on profitability from implementing the various sustainable manufacturing initiatives was directly related to the carbon emissions, while the savings in lliquefied petroleum gas (LPG) had a bigger impact on profitability but a lower impact on sustainability. The deliver case study indicated that the impact on profitability was not directly related to carbon emissions. The daylight harvesting initiative had a bigger impact on carbon emission reduction, but a lower increase in business profitability than the fluorescent lighting initiative. The return case study showed that a higher carbon emissions reduction had minimal impact on business profitability. As South African businesses move from basic supply chains to optimised supply chains under the current economic pressure, business will need to reconsider all options to reduce costs. With the carbon tax legislation looming in 2017, businesses need to become smarter about implementing sustainability initiatives that makes financial sense. The green business profitability framework developed here is a possible tool to consider, as it could help determine the break-even point between environmental sustainability and cost saving.

Download or read book Green Supply Chain Management written by Charisios Achillas and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, one of the top priorities of an organization’s modern corporate strategy is to portray itself as socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. As a focal point of sustainability initiatives, green supply chain management has emerged as a key strategy that can provide competitive advantages with significant parallel gains for company profitability. In designing a green supply chain, the intent is the adoption of comprehensive and cross-business sustainability principles, from the product conception stage to the end-of-life stage. In this context, green initiatives relate to tangible and intangible corporate benefits. Sustainability reports from numerous companies reveal that greening their supply chains has helped reduce operating cost, thus boosting effectiveness and efficiency while increasing sustainability of the business. Green Supply Chain Management provides a strategic overview of sustainable supply chain management, shedding light on the theoretical background and key principles of the topic. Specifically, this book covers various thematic areas including benefits and impact of green supply chain management; enablers and barriers on supply chain operations; inbound and outbound logistics considerations; and production, packaging and reverse logistics under the notion of "greening". The ultimate aim of this textbook is to highlight the challenges in the implementation of green supply chain management in modern companies and to provide a roadmap for decision-making in real-life cases. Combining chapter summaries and discussion questions, this book provides an accessible and student-friendly introduction to green supply change management and will be of great interest to students, scholars and practitioners in the fields of sustainable business and supply chain management.

Download or read book The Effect of Multinational Enterprises on Climate Change written by Victor Steenbergen and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2023-06-30 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Multinational enterprises (MNEs) provide both a fundamental risk to and an opportunity for climate change mitigation. The climate ambitions of MNEs will affect the environmental performance of countries around the world. As a leading actor, proactive MNEs can impose sustainability standards or encourage green technology transfers that, in some cases, could affect millions of producers and accelerate the climate transition. However, obstructive MNEs may equally hold back any progress to reduce a country's emissions via inaction or by actively resisting, obstructing, or lobbying against change. The objective of this report is to study the effect of MNEs on climate change. Toward this goal, the report reviews the latest available data, conducts new empirical analysis, and summarizes pioneering literature. The report answers four key questions related to the relationship between MNEs and climate change: 1) What effect do MNEs currently have on climate change, both through their own activities and through the emissions of their broader supply chains?; 2) How do MNEs shape the potential transfer of green technologies to domestic firms, and how do different types of interactions with MNEs stimulate such technology transfers?; 3) How committed are leading MNEs currently to transitioning their supply chains to net-zero emissions by 2050, and do they have long-, medium-, and short-range strategies to realize this?; 4) What types of policies can influence MNEs' effects on climate change?

Download or read book Ecosystem aware Global Supply Chain Management written by Nukala Viswanadham and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2013-05-14 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last two decades, several textbooks, research papers, and best practice cases have been published on supply chain management. However, globalization has created dispersed supply chains which are vulnerable and dependent on entities and factors that are exogenous to the supply chain. Resource scarcity, environmental regulations, government policies, political unrest, economic instability, and natural disasters are a few examples of how non-supply chain factors influence the way supply chains are managed. These exogenous factors are not just risk sources but can also be venues for innovation and growth.This book presents the notion of supply chain ecosystem to holistically model all the factors that interact with the supply chain and influence the flow of goods, information, and finance. Through a number of real-life case studies, the authors use the ecosystem framework to study the governance, risk, innovation, and performance issues in supply chain management, and also to redesign the management techniques for global supply chains. In doing so, this book makes a unique contribution to the theory and practice of supply chain networks.

Download or read book Statics and Dynamics of Global Supply Chain Networks with Environmental Decision Making written by Anna Nagurney and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this paper, we develop static and dynamic models of global supply chains as networks with three tiers of decision-makers: manufacturers, retailers, and consumers associated with the demand markets, who compete within a tier but cooperate between tiers. The decision-makers may be based in the same or in different countries, may transact in different currencies, and are faced with different degrees of environmental concern. Moreover, we allow for electronic transactions in the form of electronic commerce between the decisionmakers. The proposed supernetwork framework formalizes the modeling and theoretical analysis of such global supply chains, and also enables the dynamic tracking of the evolution of the associated prices and product transactions (as well as the emissions) to the equilibrium state. Moreover, it measures the impacts on the environment associated with the behaviors of the decision-makers. Finally, we propose a discrete-time algorithm which allows for the discretization of the continuous time trajectories and which results in closed form expressions at each iteration.

Download or read book Food Systems Modelling written by Christian J. Peters and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2022-01-08 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Food Systems Modelling emphasizes sustainability, including the impact of agriculture and food production on profits, people and environment, with a particular focus on the ability of humanity to continue producing food in the midst of global environmental change. Sections introduce the purpose of models, the definition of a food system, the importance of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary inquiry, cover specific branches of modeling in the sustainability of food systems, and wrestle with the challenge of communicating modeling research and appropriately integrating multiple dimensions of sustainability. This book will be a welcomed reference for food scientists, agricultural scientists, nutritionists, environmental scientists, ecologists, economists, those working in agribusiness and food supply chain management, community and public health, and urban and regional planning, as well as academicians and graduate students interested in the sustainability of food systems. Emphasizes sustainability, including the impact of agriculture and food production on profits Focuses on the ability of humanity to continue producing food in the midst of global environmental change Deciphers what models can teach us about food system sustainability

Download or read book Global Plastics Outlook Economic Drivers Environmental Impacts and Policy Options written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While plastics are extremely useful materials for modern society, plastics production and waste generation continue to increase with worsening environmental impacts despite international, national and local policy responses, as well as industry commitments. The first of two reports, this Outlook intends to inform and support policy efforts to combat plastic leakage.