Internal Environmental Management Research Articles

Circular economy: analysis of the implementation of practices in the Brazilian network

PurposeIn total, 19 practices of circular economy divided into three groups, internal environmental management, ecological design and investment recovery were studied in a local network composed of small companies and individual entrepreneurs related to common product and by-product flows. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThis research presents an applied nature, is characterized as exploratory and adopted the case study as a technical procedure using sources and methods of data collection. The primary data were collected through direct observation of the processes and semi-structured interviews with managers and owners.FindingsThe most widespread practices are related to product design. However, in most cases, the implementation was punctual and did not present continuous and corresponding actions, which highlights the embryonic contours of European Commission (EC) in the observed network. The practices from the management category were less observed, which revels the environmental variable is not included in the strategic business planning.Research limitations/implicationsThe research documents the application of CE practices in a local network and brings this current paradigm shift to the Brazilian context.Practical implicationsTo overcome barriers to the implementation of EC practices, it is suggested to restructure commercial relations, to formulate public policies and to develop infrastructures that facilitate the materiality of flows and the market.Social implicationsThe study highlights the need of public policies that promotes cross-sectoral cooperation in accordance with NSWP objectives.Originality/valueDespite the focus on EC implemented practices this study offers a framework of the research routes on the main barriers and suggests actions to overcome the challenges in the transition from the economy to the circular model.

Effects of green supply chain management practices on sustainability performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of eight dimensions of green supply chain management (GSCM) on economic, environmental and social performance, which are the three dimensions of corporate sustainability. The eight dimensions covered in this study are: green purchasing, green manufacturing, green distribution, green packaging, green marketing, environmental education, internal environmental management and investment recovery.Design/methodology/approachThe relationships between dimensions of GSCM and sustainability performance are tested by using a plant-level survey. A proposed research model and hypotheses are tested by using cross-sectional face-to-face and e-mail survey data collected from manufacturing firms in Turkey. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsExcept for green purchasing, all GSCM dimensions are found to be related with at least one of the performance dimensions.Practical implicationsThe results are important in highlighting the importance of GSCM in improving sustainability performance.Originality/valueThis paper enhances the understanding of the relationship between different dimensions of GSCM and the three sustainability performance factors. While there are very few studies examining the relationship between GSCM and corporate sustainability, this study is important in terms of exploring the effects of dimensions of GSCM applications on economic, environmental and social performance one by one, by examining these applications in the form of eight dimensions.

Green supply chain practice adoption and firm performance: manufacturing SMEs in Uganda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between five green practices and firm performance. In addition, this paper investigates the influence of each green practice on environmental performance, economic benefits, and economic costs. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected based on a cross-sectional survey of owner/managers of 200 manufacturing SME firms in Uganda, Africa. SPSS was used to find descriptive means and test relationships between green practices and performance outcomes. Structural equation modelling was used to test for the influence of each practice on performance outcomes. The structural equation modelling results were obtained using the Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling software. Results were compared with similar studies conducted in developing countries. Findings Different green practices affect different performance dimensions in different ways across different industries. For example, eco-design and internal environmental management practices significantly influence environmental performance; green purchasing and internal environmental management practices significantly influence economic benefits; and internal environmental management practices affect economic costs. Overall internal environmental management is the key to positive outcomes across the three performance criteria. The authors show how the results obtained vary from similar studies conducted in developing countries and explain possible reasons for the difference. Research limitations/implications Africa is a rapidly industrialising nation faced with difficult choices between economic growth and increased pollution. Because SMEs represent the majority of manufacturing firms, they are the main polluters. Hence, better understanding of the costs and benefits, both environmental and economic, is important to encourage green practice adoption for the betterment of community health and prosperity. Originality/value Despite numerous studies on the relationships between green practice adoption and performance outcomes, only a few studies include both economic costs and benefits in addition to environmental performance. The study covers five green supply chain practices, whereas most similar studies are limited in the number of practices examined. The African context is unique and important because industrial development and environmental protection goals are in conflict. Similar studies are predominant in an Asian context which is more developed than Africa. The findings and comparisons raise important questions for further research in relation to the roles of national regulations, geographical markets and industry types in furthering green practices in manufacturing.

Integration of Green Supply Chain Management Practices in achieving Corporate Social Responsibility objectives in Pakistan

Green Supply Chain Management is one of the progressively extensive practice among corporations pursuing advance their overall performance. In this study, impact of Internal and External Environmental Management variables were study on CSR with the mediation of Eco design. A survey questionnaire was adopted that was disseminated to 250 different employees working in different companies (manufacturing industry) in Karachi and associated with supply chain management activities. Data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Results showed that Internal and External Environmental Management has significant impact on both the Eco design and Corporate Social Responsibility. The results suggested that it is important to develop a comprehensive structure to implement and monitor the green supply chain management implications. It is also important to explore and identify the awareness level of small and medium businesses regards to green supply chain management in the operations.

Green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and their impact on performance: An insight from the Jordanian construction sector

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and performance (environmental, economic and organisational) within the construction sector in Jordan. Based on the literature review, the survey designed included46 key items. Data was collected from 133 managers in the construction sector. Multiple regression analysis wasundertakento test the study hypotheses. The analysis showedmixed results, green construction and investment recovery wassupported in three hypotheses; internal environmental management was supported only with organisationalperformance. The practical implicationsof the findings include creating more effort to attaining benefits from the world trade organisation(WTO) initiatives to establish long-term relationships with foreign customers to learn and enhance green practices in Jordan’s construction sector. This work is one of few studies thatinvestigatesGSCM practices in the construction sector ofa developing country.

Significance of Regulations in Driving Internal Environmental Management among Contractors for GSCM Application

This paper is aiming to study the significance of Regulations as driver in Internal Environment Management practice as part of GSCM practices. Accordingly, the objectives are to identify the drivers in driving Internal Environmental Management among Contractors for GSCM application and to analyse the significance of Regulations in comparison to other Drivers in driving Internal Environmental Management among Contractors for GSCM application. Quantitative research design approach is employed in this study. The independent variables in this study are the drivers of GSCM implementation in construction sector, while the dependent variable is the level of adoption of Internal Environmental Management for GSCM application in the construction sector. The result shows that Regulations driver is the significant factor for Internal Environmental Management practice. The research is significant in providing all relevant parties insights into the most significant driver in Internal Environmental Management, so that further improvement can be carried out for a successful GSCM application in Malaysia.

Examining the inter-relationship among competitive market environments, green supply chain practices, and firm performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of competitive market environments on the firm’s decision to adopt green supply chain management (GSCM) practices, while checking to see if the firm’s commitment to particular types of GSCM practices improves its performance.Design/methodology/approachTo confirm a positive link between the firm’s GSCM practices to its performance, the authors collected the data from 322 Korean firms via questionnaire surveys and then analyzed these data using the structural equation model.FindingsAmong various types of GSCM practices, green purchasing has the greatest impact on both manufacturing and marketing performances. Also, internal environmental management positively influenced both manufacturing and marketing performances, whereas cooperation with customers and reverse logistics had no significant impact on the firm’s manufacturing and marketing performances.Originality/valueTo provide a practical advice for firms which are hesitant to embrace green supply chain practices due to skeptical views about their true managerial benefits, this paper discerned more effective GSCM practices from less effective GSCM practices. In so doing, this paper is one of the few studies which pinpointed what types of specific GSCM practices are most effective in enhancing firm performance.

Impact of GSCM Practices on Financial Performance: Special Reference to Manufacturing Companies in Sri Lanka

Within the context of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), firms are currently considering green supply chain practices as a concern not only for environment performance but also financial performance. Therefore this study aims to investigate the impact of GSCM practices on financial performance relating to manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka. For this purpose structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 25 manufacturing companies listed on Colombo Stock Exchange, Sri Lanka. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling method. Green supply chain practices were categorized in to four basic practices as internal environmental management, green purchasing, customer cooperation with environmental considerations and eco design, and investment recovery. Financial performance was measured by using Return on Equity. The results showed that green purchasing and investment recovery significantly influence on financial performance and the other two green supply management practices do not significantly affect financial performance.

Implementing internal environmental management and voluntary environmental disclosure

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the implementation of internal environmental management and voluntary environmental information is related to organisational change.Design/methodology/approachOrganisational change literature provided a framework for the analysis of the materials which were collected through a mixed method. Data on internal environmental management were collected through a survey, while a quality disclosure index was used to assess the quality of the environmental voluntary disclosure. Interviews were used to enhance the quantitative results interpreted according to the four pathways proposed by Tilt (2006) and characterised by several levels of internal environmental management and voluntary disclosure.FindingsThe results indicated that companies implement more internal activities than external disclosure. Environmental planning and operational practices were the most important changes carried out. When environmental management accounting and environmental disclosure were also implemented, environmental aspects were more integrated within companies, thus revealing that a more structured integration of sustainability aspects within organisational values had taken place. The results underline the importance of primarily establishing a set of internal changes, driven by environmental planning, to promote organisational change.Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents a larger empirical analysis of the organisational change pathways followed by companies, showing similarities and differences among the four pathways. The results underline the importance of both dimensions for studying organisational changes. The framework of Tilt has been enriched, considering a more precise explanation of the internal aspects and adding the concept of the quality of disclosure as proxy to assess organisational change.Originality/valueOrganisational change is investigated through an extensive analysis of internal and external aspects and collecting quantitative and qualitative evidence. The analysis complements previous sustainability accounting literature focussed on the analysis of internal environmental management and external disclosure.

Towards a more circular economy: exploring the awareness, practices, and barriers from a focal firm perspective

The circular economy (CE) proposes an economic framework based on circular flows of products and materials. Transition towards a CE is underway, therefore, understanding the nature and state of this transition is important for creating effective policies and business strategies. Some studies have focused on specific contexts and pockets of good practice. This exploratory, survey-based study of 77 companies investigates the shift towards the CE using a taxonomy of practices and barriers. Results show that firms favour practices related to resource and energy utilisation efficiency, while practices related to investment recovery, green purchasing and customer cooperation are less prevalent. Eco-design and internal environmental management practices have a medium level of implementation. The significant upfront investment cost, lack of awareness or sense of urgency were identified as implementation barriers. Results suggest the CE is driven by economic not environmental considerations, and the deployment of practices remains within a firm rather than across the supply chain.

The impact of employee’s perception of implementing green supply chain management on hotel’s economic and operational performance

PurposeThis study aims to quantify the associations among employees’ perception of implementing green supply chain management (i.e. through seven variables, namely, internal environmental management, green information systems, green purchasing, tourist perceptions, environmentally friendly activity, employee emotional behavior and environmental legislation) with hotel’s economic and operational performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey instrument is used to examine the relationships in the proposed model by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. An analysis of the primary data (n = 150) collected from employees in Aqaba hotels located in Jordan is conducted to test the relationship between exogenous and endogenous constructs expressed in the proposed structural model.FindingsThe findings revealed that while green information systems, employee emotional behavior and environmental legislation affected hotels’ economic performance, internal environmental management, green purchasing, tourist perceptions and environment-friendly activity did not. Also, hotels’ economic performance positively impacted hotels’ operational performance. However, as the coefficient of determination (R²) for the endogenous research variables for economic performance and operational performance was 0.16 and 0.17, respectively, the relationships between the exogenous and endogenous constructs were not supported.Practical implicationsThis study will contribute towards a better understanding of employee perceptions of implementing green supply chain management and hotel performance in Aqaba City.Originality/valueThis is the first study that adequately covers the associations among employee perception of implementing green supply chain management on hotel’s economic and operational performance in the Middle East.

Gestão ambiental em cadeia de suprimentos: revisão sistemática da literatura

A literatura refere-se à extensão da gestão ambientalmente correta ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos como o conceito de Gestão Ambiental em Cadeia de Suprimentos (GACS). Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar duas revisões sistemáticas da literatura a fim de i) verificar quais são os estudos existentes que envolvem as pressões que levam à adoção de práticas da GACS; e ii) identificar quais são os artigos que abordam os desempenhos alcançados com a adoção dessas práticas. Os resultados indicaram que poucos estudos realmente abordam essas relações separadamente (práticas/pressões e práticas/desempenhos), sendo ainda mais reduzida a quantidade de trabalhos que abordam as duas relações conjuntamente. Detectou-se, ainda, que os estudos sobre esses dois temas são recentes, com a maioria publicada a partir de 2011. Constatou-se também que as práticas da GACS mais citadas nos artigos analisados foram: Gestão Ambiental Interna, Compra Verde, Cooperação com os Clientes, Eco-design e Recuperação do Investimento. As pressões mais citadas estão relacionadas com fatores internos e externos à empresa (principalmente Regulamentação, Mercado, Concorrência, Fornecedores e Sociedade). Finalmente, os desempenhos relacionados às práticas da GACS mais estudados foram: ambiental, econômico e operacional. Traçou-se, assim, cinco proposições resultantes da pesquisa, as quais foram ilustradas em um modelo teórico conceitual.

Green supply chain management practices: Multiple case studies in the Brazilian home appliance industry

Leading manufacturers in developed countries generally implement green practices and have high levels of environmental awareness. However, it is uncertain which practices are implemented and how they are implemented in the home appliance sector of emerging countries such as Brazil. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the practices of green supply chain management adopted by home appliance manufacturers. To analyze green practices in this industry, 5 manufacturers and 2 professional associations were used as case studies; this approach provided in-depth interviews about internal environmental management, reverse logistics, green purchasing, eco-design, life cycle assessment, waste management, and green manufacturing. Waste management was the most widely used technique among the research participants, and green purchasing and life cycle assessment practices were less widespread. Significant differences in the adoption of certain green supply chain management (GSCM) dimensions were observed between companies with ISO 14001 certification and non-certified companies. Suggestions for further developing GSCM in the home appliance industry are also presented.

Green supply chain management related performance indicators in agro industry: A review

Environmental protection and sustainability issues in food sector have attracted global concerns in the past two decades. Companies and government in many countries have started realizing the importance of greening their supply chains. Green supply chain management has gained special attention of public and many companies are now interested in adopting it as their strategy to advance their brand image, capturing more market share and to win the trust of the customer. The purpose of this paper is to explore the diverse performance indicators and sub-indicators responsible for green supply chain management implementation and to check its reliability and to rank them using analytic hierarchy process analysis. After extensive literature review and consulting Industrial experts, the study has suggested 13 performance indicators and 79 sub-indicators. The quantitative phase was conducted through a survey using standard questionnaire with various agro based companies followed by a qualitative phase, where the duly filled questionnaires were received, edited and further analyzed. It has been concluded that internal environmental management, environmental design and regulatory pressure are ranked as the top three performance indicators. The sensitivity analysis has also been performed to see the effect of weightage on the final ranking of performance indicators. This is one of the first studies that suggest the performance indicators for implementation of green supply chain management in agro industry. The study will certainly aid the related organizations to implement green supply chain management.

Research on the Management Innovation in Green Supply Chain: an Empirical Analysis based on Probit Model

Green supply chain management joined the concept of environmental friendly, so it received more and more attention from governments, academia and the business community after its concept have been proposed. In this paper, we test the management innovation diffusion in green supply chain by using Bass model, the result shows that green procurement and ecological design has always been the important factors, which influence enterprises whether to adopt green supply chain management or not. Other factors in turn are the enterprise internal environment management, investment recovery and customer cooperation. Study shows that the implementation of green supply chain management will not only improve the environmental performance of enterprises, but also enhance the economic performance of enterprises, so as to achieve the win-win effect.

Green supply chain practices and performance in Ghana's mining industry: a comparative evaluation based on DEMATEL and AHP

We introduce a comprehensive framework for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) implementation in the mining industry. The framework includes six constructs, green information technology and systems, strategic supplier partnership, operations and logistics integration, internal environmental management, eco-innovative and end-of-life. Environmentally sustainable supply chain management practices in Ghana's gold mining industry are examined using DEMATEL and the analytical hierarchy process. The evaluation models found that strategic supplier partnership and end-of-life practices are the two most prominent and influential factors whereas lean and green operations, substituting toxic inputs with environmentally friendly ones and resale of used parts or components are prominent sub-factors. This study and resulting framework allows practicing managers in the mining industry to make thoughtful decisions on SSCM.

Green supply chain practices and performance in Ghana's mining industry: a comparative evaluation based on DEMATEL and AHP

We introduce a comprehensive framework for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) implementation in the mining industry. The framework includes six constructs, green information technology and systems, strategic supplier partnership, operations and logistics integration, internal environmental management, eco-innovative and end-of-life. Environmentally sustainable supply chain management practices in Ghana's gold mining industry are examined using DEMATEL and the analytical hierarchy process. The evaluation models found that strategic supplier partnership and end-of-life practices are the two most prominent and influential factors whereas lean and green operations, substituting toxic inputs with environmentally friendly ones and resale of used parts or components are prominent sub-factors. This study and resulting framework allows practicing managers in the mining industry to make thoughtful decisions on SSCM.

Stakeholder engagement and the GRI: implications for effective risk management

Stakeholders expect organisations to assess and manage risk in all areas of business activity including their social and environmental activities, and corporate reporting on these activities is increasing. Acknowledging that a gap may exist between voluntary reports and internal social and environmental risk management practices, this study explores the association between the use of the GRI guidelines, stakeholder engagement practices, and risk management practices with reference to AS/NZS Risk Management Standard ISO 31000:2009. It moves beyond motivations to explore how voluntary reporting practices may facilitate risk management through the process of stakeholder engagement. Results indicate that the use of the GRI in conjunction with external verification encourages more inclusive stakeholder engagement practices as identified in the AS/NZS Risk Management Standard

Green supply chain management and firms’ performance: Understanding potential relationships and the role of green sourcing and some other green practices

This study examines how the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices, including green sources, affects environmental and operational performance indicators. A multiple-case study was conducted using large Brazilian firms that have achieved particular success in their sectors and that occupy high positions in important rankings of corporate sustainability. The results of the study indicate that the GSCM practice of “internal environmental management” has the greatest positive effect on environmental performance indicators, and that the GSCM practice of “cooperation with customers” has the greatest positive effect on operational performance indicators. Thus, if a company aims to improve environmental performance (EP), it may create procedures and programs based on the environmental management system and adopt cleaner production initiatives. If a company intends to improve its operational performance (OP), it may respond to audits, improve information exchange between companies and clients and build research and development (R&D) areas to promote environmental innovation.

Performance Improvement in Indian Manufacturing Industries after Implementing Green Supply Chain Management

Green Supply Chain is used to reduce gas emission, solid waste emission, waste water emission, preserve the natural resources, decrease of consumption of toxic material, decrease the environmental disasters, better product quality and increase not only environmental performance but economic performance also. It reduces negative economic performance. Industries adopt various practices to improve performance. In this paper AHP is used for determining GSCM Practices and Performance with the help of parameters related to these. AHP has been conducted to get the importance of different practices (Internal environmental management system, Green packaging, Green purchasing, Eco designing, Internal recovery, Cooperation with customers) and to get the environmental performance, positive and negative economic performance in Indian manufacturing industries. AHP method has been applied to determine the priorities weightage of different parameters.