From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management

Relationships between operational practices and performance among early adopters of green supply chain management practices in chinese manufacturing enterprises

Purpose – Green supply chain management (GSCM) has emerged as a key approach for enterprises seeking to become environmentally sustainable. This paper aims to evaluate and describe GSCM drivers, practices and performance among various Chinese manufacturing organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review, four propositions are put forward. An empirical study using survey research was completed. The survey questionnaire was designed with 54 items using literature and industry expert input. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to derive groupings of GSCM pressures, practice and performance from the survey data which included 314 responses. A categorical and descriptive nature of the results is then presented with an evaluation and comparative analysis with previous research findings.Findings – Chinese enterprises have increased their environmental awareness due to regulatory, competitive, and marketing pressures and drivers. However, this awareness has not been translated int...

Green supply chain management in China: pressures, practices and performance

Confirmation of a measurement model for green supply chain management practices implementation

Mechanistic implications of plastic degradation

This paper presents the results of Australian research that explored the role of packaging in minimizing food waste in the supply chain. The economic, social and environmental costs of food waste h ...

Packaging's Role in Minimizing Food Loss and Waste Across the Supply Chain

There is a huge scarcity of good, practical resources for designers and students interested in minimizing the environmental impacts of products. Design + Environment has been specifically written to address this paucity.  
The book first provides background information to help the reader understand how and why design for environment (DfE) has become so critical to design, with reference to some of the most influential writers, designers and companies in the field. Next, Design + Environment provides a step-by-step approach on how to approach DfE: to design a product that meets requirements for quality, cost, manufacturability and consumer appeal, while at the same time minimising environmental impacts. The first step in the process is to undertake an assessment of environmental impacts, using life-cycle assessment (LCA) or one of the many simpler tools available to help the designer. From then on, DfE becomes an integral part of the normal design process, including the development of concepts, design of prototypes, final design and development of marketing strategies.  
Environmental assessment tools and strategies to reduce environmental impacts, such as the selection of appropriate materials, are then discussed. Next, some of the links between environmental problems, such as global warming, ozone depletion, water and air pollution and the everyday products we consume are considered. In order to design products with minimal environmental impact, we need to have a basic understanding of these impacts and the interactions between them.  
The four subsequent chapters provide more detailed strategies and case studies for particular product groups: packaging, textiles, furniture, and electrical and electronic products. Guidelines are provided for each of the critical stages of a product's life, from the selection of raw materials through to strategies for recovery and recycling.  
Finally, Design + Environment takes a look at some of the emerging trends in DfE that are offering us the opportunity to make a more significant reduction in environmental impacts. Both the development of more sustainable materials and technologies and the growing interest in leasing rather than selling products are examined.  
Design + Environment is organized as a workbook rather than an academic text. It should be read once, and then used as a key reference source. This clear and informative book will prove to be invaluable to practising designers, to course directors and their students in need of a core teaching and reference text and to all those interested in learning about the tools and trends influencing green product design.  
The authors have all been involved in an innovative demonstration programme called "EcoReDesign", which was developed by the Centre for Design at RMIT University with funding from the Australian government. The Centre successfully collaborated with Australian companies to improve the environmental performance of their products by following DfE principles.

Design + Environment: A Global Guide to Designing Greener Goods

Community concerns about the environmental impacts of packaging have prompted governments to introduce policies and regulations which impose eco-taxes or deposit-return systems, require companies to take-back and recover their packaging, or promote voluntary product stewardship programmes. Until recently these programmes have focused almost exclusively on consumer (retail) packaging, but increasingly companies are starting to address the environmental impacts of industrial packaging. This is being driven as much by regulation as it is by the need to reduce costs and increase efficiency in supply chains. This paper argues that environmental innovation in industrial packaging systems requires a cooperative supply chain approach to ensure that environmental and commercial costs are reduced and efficiencies optimized for the chain as a whole. This is based on a review of the literature and an industrial packaging supply chain research and demonstration programme conducted between 2003 and 2005 in Australia.

Environmental innovation in industrial packaging: a supply chain approach

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used by practitioners and policy-makers to help them understand the sustainability impacts of packaging. LCA is useful because it quantifi es the impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from raw materials extraction through to disposal or recovery. However, it can only ever be one input to decisions about the design or procurement of packaging. LCA has limitations as a tool to measure environmental impact and it does not currently evaluate social or fi impact. This paper provides a critical review of the role of LCA in evaluating packaging sustainability. It does this by evaluating the results of LCA studies that compare different types of carry bags and their implications for policy and practice. The benefi ts and limitations of this type of analysis are discussed. The case study of plastic carry bags demonstrates that while a scientifi c understanding of life cycle impacts is essential to support informed decision-making, a broader sustainability analysis is required to ensure that all relevant issues are considered. These include the functionality of alternative bags, their relative cost, convenience for consumers and retailers, and the availability of reuse and recovery systems. An alternative approach, which evaluates packaging design within a broader sustainability framework, is presented and discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluating the sustainability impacts of packaging: the plastic carry bag dilemma

Provides a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging Draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits and environmental issues Includes industry case studies The packaging industry is under pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders to improve packaging’s sustainability by reducing its environmental and societal impacts. This is a considerable challenge because of the complex interactions between products and their packaging, and the many roles that packaging plays in the supply chain. Packaging for Sustainability is a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging. Industry case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios. Packaging for Sustainability draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future. Authors: Dr. Karli Verghese and Dr. Helen Lewis, Centre for Design, RMIT University; Dr Leanne Fitzpatrick, Birubi Innovation, Melbourne.

Helen Lewis

Papers

Packaging's Role in Minimizing Food Loss and Waste Across the Supply Chain

Design + Environment: A Global Guide to Designing Greener Goods

Environmental innovation in industrial packaging: a supply chain approach

Evaluating the sustainability impacts of packaging: the plastic carry bag dilemma

Packaging for sustainability