Expanding green supply chain performance measurement through emergy accounting and analysis

Abstract

Emergy accounting has existed for decades. Emergy evaluates the donor side contribution of nature at region or country, macro-level analyses. It has been rarely applied and considered for organizational or supply chain management. In this study we provide an introduction and background on how emergy accounting analysis can be adjusted and applied at the supply chain level. Supplier selection is the example supply chain application for which actual emergy measures are used. The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept as a valuable tool for investigation by operations and supply chain management scholars and practitioners. The application provides some initial insight. This work at the nexus of sustainable supply chains and performance measurement is an initial study with significant future opportunities. These opportunities include effectively internalizing environmental and resource externalities for more thoughtful business models and evaluations. Implications and future research directions are summarized for this important, yet understudied field. It contributes by expanding the supplier performance measurement field.