Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: The objective of this study is to examine the mediating effects of technology on the relationship between green supply chain management and performance of the Brazilian chemical industry. Originality/Value: The pressure for sustainable environment has emerged in companies, the incorporation of technologies as part of the manufacture of products. However, incorporating technologies into manufacturing does not always represent a reduction of the environmental burden. They can cause environmental externalities. The article makes it easier to understand the role of these technologies in the management of the green supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: It was considered of descriptive nature of the quantitative type. The data were collected through a semistructured questionnaire with a sample consisting of 160 Brazilian chemical companies. Processed by structural equation modeling, it generated an empirical theoretical model composed of three main constructs: technology, green supply chain management and environmental performance. Findings: The application of the theoretical empirical model revealed that the technology partially mediates the relationship between green supply chain management and the environmental performance of Brazilian chemical companies. There was evidence that technologies provided tangible competitive advantages, although several of them could only be achieved in the long term. The study suggested implications of theoretical nature, such as having an integrated managerial vision between company and environment; and of practical nature in which new ways of designing products can reduce environmental externalities, often without any technology being used to so.
Highlights
The global consensus that greenhouse gases emissions must be curtailed has prompted many production sectors to lighten or mitigate the environmental impacts of their activities: for example, agribusinesses are investing in cutting-edge technologies that analyze the spatial variability of plantations, in order to ensure more efficient use of input materials (Porter & Heppelmann, 2014); civil construction firms are investing in workyard mechanization technologies that slash project costs through higher output and less waste; in the chemical sector, companies are investing in safety, security, health, environment, and quality assessment technologies that are steadily eliminating risks and lowering accident rates across the board during the distribution, handling and shipment of chemical products, as well as in storage terminals and cleaning stations (Associação Brasileira da Indústria Química [Abiquim], 2015)
The first and second sections sought information on the company and the respondents, while the third, fourth and fifth sections respectively gathered data on the Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), Technology and Performance constructs. These final three sections consisted of statements with reply options that varied between Disagree Totally (DT = 1) and Agree Totally (AT = 6), where the respondents marked the level of importance of each statement as they saw it, ranked from the company standpoint. Before this questionnaire was forwarded to the respondents, it was pre-tested by seven GSCM, operations and logistics specialists in order to upgrade and refine this research tool
60% of these companies declared that they were partially integrated with GSCM and 35% were fully integrated with GSCM
Summary
The global consensus that greenhouse gases emissions must be curtailed has prompted many production sectors to lighten or mitigate the environmental impacts of their activities: for example, agribusinesses are investing in cutting-edge technologies that analyze the spatial variability of plantations, in order to ensure more efficient use of input materials (Porter & Heppelmann, 2014); civil construction firms are investing in workyard mechanization technologies that slash project costs through higher output and less waste; in the chemical sector, companies are investing in safety, security, health, environment, and quality assessment technologies that are steadily eliminating risks and lowering accident rates across the board during the distribution, handling and shipment of chemical products, as well as in storage terminals and cleaning stations (Associação Brasileira da Indústria Química [Abiquim], 2015).As part of this drive to mitigate environmental impacts and fueled by keen competition, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) has emerged during the past few years as an extension of Supply Chain Management (SCM). When a company acquires new equipment, it deploys technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage through stepping up the product value to the customer or cutting the costs of placing its goods on the market This equipment may require a betterqualified workforce, upgrading job quality and the workplace. These aspects are tightly tied to the price that society will have to pay in order to resolve external environmental issues caused by companies (Coase, 1937)
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