Green Supply Chain
Executive summary
The e-Technology guide aims to analyse the practice of Green Supply Chain Management (GrSCM) adopted by different companies in the face of increasing impacts of business operations on environment. The guide will start with introducing the reasoning behind the decision of implementing GrSCM and discussing about GrSCM’s current and future development directions. More details regarding to the definition of GrSCM and in-depth analyses about its structure will be also elaborated. Besides, the guide also focuses on explaining benefits and challenges associated with the application of GrSCM into the real business milieu. There is also a case study related to the practice of GrSCM of an electronic company in an attempt to assist readers in more easily linking theoretical with practical aspects of environmental protection. Finally, some recommendations for future implementation of GrSCM are also discussed as suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of GrSCM in the near future.
Introduction
Globalization has witnessed an increase in global logistic activities, which serve for the growing demand of international outsourcing or the exchange of different component parts between suppliers and manufacturers following company’s strategic logistic decisions. This leads to a significant increase in the scale as well as the degree of environmental impacts that the logistic activities possibly generate, especially in developing countries. Indeed, it is predicted that a majority of the world’s manufacturing will be operated in Asia in the next few decades, which brings about more economic opportunities but simultaneously imposes more environmental burdens on these countries (US-AEP, cited in Zhu & Sarkis 2004, p. 266).
Besides, with growing customer awareness of the importance of environmental protection worldwide, more pressures are exerted on multinational enterprises with respect to conserving the Earth’s resources and operating business with more
The e-Technology guide aims to analyse the practice of Green Supply Chain Management (GrSCM) adopted by different companies in the face of increasing impacts of business operations on environment. The guide will start with introducing the reasoning behind the decision of implementing GrSCM and discussing about GrSCM’s current and future development directions. More details regarding to the definition of GrSCM and in-depth analyses about its structure will be also elaborated. Besides, the guide also focuses on explaining benefits and challenges associated with the application of GrSCM into the real business milieu. There is also a case study related to the practice of GrSCM of an electronic company in an attempt to assist readers in more easily linking theoretical with practical aspects of environmental protection. Finally, some recommendations for future implementation of GrSCM are also discussed as suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of GrSCM in the near future.
Introduction
Globalization has witnessed an increase in global logistic activities, which serve for the growing demand of international outsourcing or the exchange of different component parts between suppliers and manufacturers following company’s strategic logistic decisions. This leads to a significant increase in the scale as well as the degree of environmental impacts that the logistic activities possibly generate, especially in developing countries. Indeed, it is predicted that a majority of the world’s manufacturing will be operated in Asia in the next few decades, which brings about more economic opportunities but simultaneously imposes more environmental burdens on these countries (US-AEP, cited in Zhu & Sarkis 2004, p. 266).
Besides, with growing customer awareness of the importance of environmental protection worldwide, more pressures are exerted on multinational enterprises with respect to conserving the Earth’s resources and operating business with more