An integrated model for selecting suppliers on the basis of sustainability innovation

Sustainability is hinged on innovation. The importance of sustainable innovation management in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) cannot be underestimated. Studies on SSCM have emphasised the need for sustainable innovation in achieving sustainability but none provide deep insights into sustainable innovation management in SSCM implementation. This lack of research depth stimulates this study to identify and investigate criteria for sustainable supply chain management innovation advancement. This paper proposes a sustainable innovation criteria framework for investigating sustainable supply chains in manufacturing companies. To exemplify the applicability and efficiency of the proposed framework, a sample of five Indian manufacturing companies are used to evaluate and prioritise the sustainable innovation management criteria, using the ‘best–worst’ multi-criteria decision-making (BW-MCDM) model. The criteria weights for all companies from BWM are aggregated, averaged and used for ranking. The respondent managers viewed ‘financial availability for innovation’ as the most important sustainable innovation sub-criteria. The results of the study will inform industrial managers, practitioners and decision-makers on which criteria to focus on during the implementation stage, to increase sustainability in manufacturing supply chains, and further advance corporate and supply chain sustainable development. The framework may also serve as a theoretical construct for a future empirical study on sustainable supply chain innovation in the manufacturing sector. This paper sets the stage for further research in sustainable innovation practices in the manufacturing sector and its supply chains.

Evaluation of the external forces affecting the sustainability of oil and gas supply chain using Best Worst Method

The sustainable Supplier Evaluation and Selection and Order Allocation (SSOA) problem has received significant attention in supply chain management due to its potential to enhance a company’s performance, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce costs. In this study, an integrated methodology is proposed to address the SSOA problem. The methodology combines multiple techniques to handle the uncertainties associated with supplier evaluation, including a new ranking method based on the concept of Radius of Gyration (ROG) for interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The methodology also incorporates both subjective weights obtained using the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) and expert preferences, and objective weights calculated using the Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (MEREC) method to determine the weights of evaluation criteria. Some criteria for sustainable development are used to evaluate supplier performance, resulting in type-2 fuzzy sets, which are evaluated using the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method. The ROG-based ranking method is employed to calculate the relative scores of suppliers. Finally, a multi-objective decision-making (MODM) mathematical model is presented to identify suitable suppliers and allocate their order quantities. The methodology is demonstrated in a sustainable SSOA problem and is shown to be efficient and effective, as the ROG-based ranking method allows for more accurate supplier performance evaluation, and the use of the criteria highlights the importance of sustainability in supplier selection and order allocation. The methodology’s practicality is further supported by the analysis conducted in this study, which demonstrates the methodology’s ability to handle the uncertainties associated with supplier evaluation and selection. The proposed methodology offers a comprehensive approach to the SSOA problem that can effectively handle the uncertainties in supplier evaluation and selection and promote sustainable practices in supply chain management.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give an up-to-date and structured insight into the literature published during the past decade on sustainable green supply chain management. It also suggests trends for future research based on the research issues identified through systematic and comprehensive analysis of previous studies in the area of green and sustainable supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachA state-of-the-art literature review is carried out by systematically collecting the existing literature over a period of 10 years (2005-2014) and categorizing it on the basis of attributes such as stages in supply chain, methodology and the industries/sectors under consideration. The classification of literature is also done according to the geographic region and year of publication.FindingsThere has been an increased interest among researchers and practitioners in the area of sustainable green supply chain management in the past decade. A need for achieving sustainability through adoption of greener practices has been universally felt, owing to an increasing environmental and ecological complexity. The review reveals that there exists a need to address behavioural issues like human resource management and supply chain partner relationship management. Moreover, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chain management and waste management are areas that need special focus to achieve environmental sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe current review focuses on research trends in the past 10 years only. Moreover, papers from only good quality, peer-reviewed journals are considered in the study.Originality/valueMost of the previous reviews have either focused on specific issues related to sustainable supply chains only or green supply chains. The present study collectively takes into consideration papers both from green supply chain management as well as from sustainable supply chain literature that have a prime focus on environmental sustainability.

Supply chain management is increasingly challenged to integrate environmental (e.g. product recyclability) and social issues (e.g. labor conditions) to establish sustainable supply chains. Apart from a risk-orientation in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) companies can also pursue an opportunity-oriented strategy linked to innovation. In this paper we develop the argument that SSCM is an opportunity for companies to develop sustainability-oriented innovations (SOIs), that is, improved or new products, processes, and organizational structures. For this purpose we focus our analysis on SSCM from the perspective of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as, so far, little is known on how SMEs manage SSCM within the business-toconsumer (B2C) context, even though SMEs are important for sustainable development. We argue that SSCM can play a central role for SOIs of SMEs by making resources accessible through the interaction with primary (e.g. customers, suppliers) and secondary supply chain stakeholders (e.g. competitors, universities). Building on the resource-based and relational view we develop a conceptual framework which discusses how resource flows can occur in the interaction with different supply chain stakeholders. As a result, we explicate theoretical propositions and implications for practice.

A framework to overcome sustainable supply chain challenges through solution measures of industry 4.0 and circular economy: An automotive case

O objetivo do estudo foi identificar temas emergentes e métodos empregados na pesquisa em sustentabilidade. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo bibliométrico com análises de co-citação e de pareamento bibliográfico. Amostra é composta de 1,292 artigos publicados entre 1999 e 2018 em todos os periódicos peer-review de business da Scopus. O estudo se diferencia de análises bibliométricas tradicionais ao se debruçar não só sobre os temas teóricos, mas também sobre os métodos empregados. Como principais resultados se destaca que a análise de co-citação evidencia três grandes temas que norteiam a pesquisa em sustentabilidade: (1) Gestão da Cadeia de Suprimentos Sustentável; (2) Responsabilidade Social Corporativa; e (3) Turismo Sustentável. A análise de pareamento bibliográfico mostra cinco grandes temas de pesquisa vigentes: (a) Estruturas Clássicas Sustentáveis da Cadeia de Suprimentos; (b) Economias Globais e Emergentes nas Cadeias de Suprimentos Sustentáveis; (c) Seleção de fornecedores e técnicas fuzzy; (d) Novas Estruturas de Cadeia de Suprimentos Sustentáveis; e (e) Responsabilidade Ambiental. A pesquisa em sustentabilidade possui estudos em diversas áreas do conhecimento e apresenta variedade de métodos nas publicações sem evidenciar uma tendência na abordagem qualitativa ou quantitativa, sendo que temas mais uníssonos e sedimentados são majoritariamente constituídos por estudos quantitativos; e temas mais diversos, emergentes ou que tratam de fenômenos de difícil mensuração são abordados qualitativamente. Conclui-se que a temática sobre gestão de sustentabilidade está em ascensão, o que gera uma expectativa positiva sobre o aprofundamento das pesquisas ao longo dos próximos anos. Entretanto, identificamos a ausência de temas importantes relacionados às tecnologias verdes, inovações sustentáveis e políticas públicas.

In recent years, environmental sustainability has stimulated enterprises worldwide to not only develop green and sustainable innovations but also to move toward green and sustainable supply chain management. This study integrated the ideas of green supply chain management (GSCM) and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) to define sustainable green supply chain management (SGSCM). Previous studies on GSCM/SSCM have contributed to research and practice, but few have explored the antecedents and consequences of GSCM/SSCM simultaneously. To address this research gap, we linked ecological modernization (EM) theory with SGSCM and sustainability performance to build a comprehensive research model. A total of 300 valid questionnaires were collected from electrical and electronics firms in Taiwan. The empirical results demonstrated that awareness of and pressure to engage in EM significantly positively affected SGSCM. Moreover, SGSCM significantly positively influenced sustainability performance (i.e. environmental, economic, and social performance). These findings should convince enterprises to actively promote SGSCM.

The negative impacts of the oil and gas (O&G) industry on the environment and society wellbeing necessitate research on the integration of sustainability in its supply chain management practices. However, the research on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the O&G industry context are still lacking in terms of understanding the factors that facilitates or hinders its implementation. Therefore, this paper aims at addressing the gap by assessing the importance of the external forces within the O&G operating environment that could affect its SSCM strategy. A literature review was conducted where we identified six external forces namely economic stability, political stability, stakeholder pressure, competition, energy transition and regulations. A multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) method called Best Worst Method (BWM) was used to assess the importance of the forces based on data collected using a questionnaire sent to academic experts in the fields of SSCM and O&G. It is found that economic stability followed by competition and political stability are the most important external forces and regulations and energy transition are the least important forces influencing the SSCM of the O&G companies. The outcome of this study could help O&G companies to identify external forces that can drive (hinder) their SSCM implementation. Consequently, it enable them to develop a strategy that take into account their resources and capabilities to address the external forces as they strive to make their supply chains more sustainable.

Supplier selection problem is one of the most important business activities related to sustainable development because it has significant effect on product quality and quantity and sustainability issues. PT Wonorejo Makmur Abadi is a plastic manufacturing company that produces plastic mats in many various brands and sizes. The raw materials used are recycled Polypropylene (PP) type of plastic raw materials to reduce mat production costs. There are several criteria that must be considered in determining suppliers including price, delivery, capability, and flexibility. The company must be careful in making decisions in supplier selection because there are several criteria that must be considered simultaneously. Therefore, in this paper, a decision-making tool is provided to solve the sustainable supplier selection in multi-item and multi-supplier environment. At first, one of the efficient Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches called Best Worst Method (BWM) is used to determine the weight of each criterion, where the weight will be used in the evaluation of each supplier to select the most appropriate supplier using the Technique For Reference Orders By Similarity To Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The results of this research can help managers in this plastic industry to deal with the sustainable supplier selection problem. Furthermore, the presented approach in this research can assist managers of other industries to select and evaluate their suppliers.

Today in the global market, sustainable supply chain management has turned into a significant issue for managers and researchers. Selection and evaluation related to the rewarding and satisfying supplier are one of the main points in each supply chain. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a popular method to measure the performance and efficiency of suppliers and organizations. In this study, a novel two-stage DEA network model is proposed in the presence of uncontrollable inputs and undesirable outputs with considering the set of intermediate elements between two stages to evaluate and select the best sustainable supplier. The provided model is applied in a plastic case study by ten decision-making units (DMUs) as suppliers or alternatives to denote validity and applicability of the suggested model.

Evaluation and selection of suppliers play a vital role in improving their sustainability performance. In this regard, evaluating the sustainability performance of suppliers is much more critical in developing countries. These countries are among the best destinations for supplying raw materials and workforce utilisation because of lower costs. In recent years, various multi-criteria decision aiding (MCDA) frameworks utilised to evaluate suppliers based on sustainable aspects. However, few studies analysed the evaluation and selection of suppliers' sustainability in an integrated fuzzy MCDA model regarding the supplier selection process and developing nations. This research presents a comprehensive, integrated fuzzy decision model for sustainable supplier evaluation and selection using an integrated FDelphi-FDEMATEL-FANP-FVIKOR by considering sustainability (social, economic and environmental). Also, this research provides a comprehensive analysis of MCDA techniques' literature in terms of the main steps of sustainable supplier selection (e.g., formulation of criteria, handling of criterion's interaction, weight calculation and final selection). The previous research rarely considered the evolution of suppliers' sustainability according to its steps in the literature. This framework assists supply chain managers and practitioners better understand the extraordinary role of these steps on businesses. This research's proposed framework is validated by a numerical example taken from Iran's automotive industry.

In recent years, increasing pollution of the ecological environment, excessive use of pesticides, and lack of effective management of agricultural product supply chains have made the problem of having a green and safe supply of fresh food increasingly prominent. The sustainability of the fresh agricultural products supply has become an inevitable focus in the development of agricultural enterprises. There are some problems in the supply chain of fresh agricultural products, such as scattered production sites and difficult logistics transportation, which makes it difficult for enterprises to choose reliable suppliers. Supplier selection is a key component of sustainable supply chain management, and the criteria for evaluating the quality of sustainable suppliers are often affected by economic, social, and environmental factors. Therefore, from the perspective of sustainability, based on triple bottom line theory and comprehensively considering the three aspects of society, environment, and economy, this paper proposes a novel evaluation index system for the selection of sustainable suppliers of fresh agricultural products. This paper innovatively integrates the intuition fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple attribute decision-making), and these are applied to select sustainable suppliers. Finally, the integration method is applied to the example, and a sensitivity analysis is carried out to verify the validity of the evaluation model.

Purpose – sustainability in industrial organizations is becoming one of the predominant concepts in the context of modern industrialization due to global warming, economic significance, and social awareness. These have prompted a huge concern toward sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) to be adopted and promoted as an innovative business model. Supplier evaluation and selection play a significant role in SSCM for taking appropriate procurement decisions. Research methodology – a hybrid MADM model based on Best Worst Method (BWM) and Combined Comprise Solution (CoCoSo) method. Findings – a case study in the steel industry is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results show the potentiality of the proposed model in resolving complex sustainability issues in the SCM environment. Research limitations – other weighting techniques like the analytic network process (ANP) and decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approaches can also be combined and performances can be compared. Practical implications – the proposed model can be used by the organizations to select the most appropriate suppliers who contribute to the movement of the SC towards sustainability. Originality/Value – a multi-criteria evaluation model has been proposed for solving a sustainable supplier selection problem while considering economic, environmental and social criteria simultaneously by integrating BWM-COCOSO methods

Automobile industries worldwide are unified in opinion, that successful management of sustainable supply chains is the most important driver to improve both their economic and ecological performances. The significance of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) is a critical corporate matter in the automobile industries that offers incredible potential for achieving better environmental performance, consumer fulfillment, pull down operating expenditures, reducing inventory investments in addition to achieving better fixed asset usage. The environment concerns, climatic changes, and additional ecological concerns in automobile industries are not only articulated by campaigners or researchers, but also by the common man as well, which has motivated the industries to focus on sustainability. The present research focuses on a DEA-based mathematical model and employs differential evolution to select the competent suppliers providing the utmost fulfillment for the sustainable criteria determined. This study aims to examine the sustainable supplier evaluation and selection practices likely to be adopted by the Indian automobile industry for their products.