Green Supply Chain
Green and lean supply chain
1. Introduction
Firms in the twenty-first century are grappling with a constantly changing world.
Three supply chain trends in particular are converging to create an increasingly complex business environment: a move towards green initiatives, the utilization of lean processes, and globalization. The globalization of supply chains involves dimensions such as offshoring of production, inventories, suppliers and customers, and differences in economies, infrastructures, cultures, and politics in the competitive environment
(Manuj and Mentzer, 2008; Schmidt and Wilhelm, 2000; Christopher, 2005).
Globalization may enable increased revenue generation through entry to new markets and may provide access to suppliers that can provide materials and inputs more efficiently than domestic sources. There has also been an increasing trend for
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0960-0035.htm All authors contributed equally to the preparation and submission of this paper and are listed in alphabetical order.
firms to shift operations from the host country to lower cost geographies to reduce manufacturing costs.
Lean supply chain strategies focus on waste reduction, helping firms eliminate non-value adding activities related to excess time, labor, equipment, space, and inventories across the supply chain (Corbett and Klassen, 2006). Such strategies enable firms to improve quality, reduce costs, and improve service to customers as traditional batch and queue mass production and supply chain approaches are transformed
(Larson and Greenwood, 2004). Lean practices are becoming increasingly difficult to implement and sustain as supply chains increase in complexity and length.
Green supply chain strategies refer to efforts to minimize the negative impact of firms and their supply chains on the natural environment. In the wake of concerns regarding climate change, pollution,
1. Introduction
Firms in the twenty-first century are grappling with a constantly changing world.
Three supply chain trends in particular are converging to create an increasingly complex business environment: a move towards green initiatives, the utilization of lean processes, and globalization. The globalization of supply chains involves dimensions such as offshoring of production, inventories, suppliers and customers, and differences in economies, infrastructures, cultures, and politics in the competitive environment
(Manuj and Mentzer, 2008; Schmidt and Wilhelm, 2000; Christopher, 2005).
Globalization may enable increased revenue generation through entry to new markets and may provide access to suppliers that can provide materials and inputs more efficiently than domestic sources. There has also been an increasing trend for
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0960-0035.htm All authors contributed equally to the preparation and submission of this paper and are listed in alphabetical order.
firms to shift operations from the host country to lower cost geographies to reduce manufacturing costs.
Lean supply chain strategies focus on waste reduction, helping firms eliminate non-value adding activities related to excess time, labor, equipment, space, and inventories across the supply chain (Corbett and Klassen, 2006). Such strategies enable firms to improve quality, reduce costs, and improve service to customers as traditional batch and queue mass production and supply chain approaches are transformed
(Larson and Greenwood, 2004). Lean practices are becoming increasingly difficult to implement and sustain as supply chains increase in complexity and length.
Green supply chain strategies refer to efforts to minimize the negative impact of firms and their supply chains on the natural environment. In the wake of concerns regarding climate change, pollution,