The design of green supply chains under carbon policies: A literature review of quantitative models

Carbon footprinting of products and services is getting increasing attention due to the growing emphasis on carbon related policies in many countries. As a result, many enterprises are focusing on the design of green supply chains (GSCs) with research on supply chains (SCs) focused not only on cost efficiency, but also on its environmental consequences. The review presented in this paper focuses on the implications of carbon policies on SCs. The concept of content analysis is used to retrieve and analyze the information regarding drivers (carbon policies), actors (for example, manufacturers and retailers), methodologies (mathematical modeling techniques), decision-making contexts (such as, facility location and order quantity), and emission reduction opportunities. The review shows a lack of emissions analysis of SCs that face carbon policies in different countries. The research also focuses on the design of carbon policies for emissions reduction in different operating situations. Some possible research directions are also discussed at the end of this review.A NPRP award NPRP No.5-1284-5-198 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation).Scopu

Distributional effects from policies for reduced CO2-emissions from car use in 2030

We analyze the distributional effects, from car use and car choice adaptation to three car-related policy instruments intended to reduce CO2 emissions in Sweden to 2030: fossil-fuel taxes, a bonus-malus system for new cars, and mandated biofuel blending. The results show that even with a fast introduction of plug-in electric vehicles, many fossil cars remain, which has important distributional consequences. The fuel tax and the bonus-malus scenarios impose further burdens compared to the reference scenario. The fraction of each population group incurring substantial welfare losses is higher the lower the income. In 2030, the highest-income group can avoid some adaptation costs by their car choice. In all scenarios rural areas bear the largest burden, smaller urban areas the second largest burden, and the largest urban areas the smallest burden. Thus, individuals with high incomes and inhabitants in urban areas appear to have more opportunities to adapt and avoid welfare losses

Determining the Optimal Carbon Tax Rate based on Data Envelopment Analysis

Carbon tax policy is widely used to control greenhouse gases and how to determine a suitable carbon tax rate is very important for policy makers considering the trade-off between environmental protection and economic development. In an industry regulated by carbon tax policy, we consider two competing firms who sell ordinary products and green products respectively. In order to promote the firm who sells ordinary product to reduce carbon emissions, the government of China imposes carbon tax on the ordinary products. For the government, three objectives are considered when it makes carbon tax policy. They are increasing the government revenue, reducing the government expenditure and decreasing the carbon emissions. For the firms, it is important to explore their pricing strategies taken into account of the government tax policy. To find an optimal carbon tax rate and to achieve the three objectives simultaneously, we consider this as a multiple criteria decision-making problem. Hence, we propose to use a centralized data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to solve it. We find that when one firm produces ordinary products and the other produces green products, the government may set a high tax rate. While when both firms sell ordinary products, the optimal tax policy for each firm is different and the government may impose a higher tax rate for one firm and a lower tax rate for the other firm

An Investigation to Evaluate the Feasibility of an Intermodal Freight Transport System.

The threat of greenhouse gases and the resulting climate change have been causing concern at international levels. This has led towards new sustainable policies towards reducing the anthropogenic effects on the environment and the population through promoting sustainable solutions for the freight industry. The research was prompted by the growing concerns that were no mode-choice tool to select as an alternative to road freight transport. There were growing concerns that a large percentage of transport related negativities, related various costs and pollution costs, losses arising from traffic accidents, delay costs from congestion and abatement costs due to climate impacts of transport, etc., were not being borne by the user. Economists have defined them as external costs. Internalising these external costs has been regarded as an efficient way to share the transport related costs. The aim of this research was to construct a freight mode choice model, based on total transport costs, as a mode choice substitution tool. This model would allow the feasibility of choosing alternative intermodal system to a primarily ‘road system’. The thesis postulates a novel model in computing total freight transport costs incurred during the total transit of goods along three North European transport corridors. The model evaluated the total costs summing the internal, external and time costs for varied mode choices from unimodal and the second level of intermodal transport systems. The research outcomes have shown the influences of total costs on the shipper and the preferred mode choices from the available mode/route options with sustainable transport solutions. The impacts of such alternatives were evaluated in this research. This will allow the embedding of intermodal infrastructures as sustainable and alternative mode choices for the freight industry

Assessment of Social Response to Incentives, On Reduction of Plastic Bags Use in Pakistan: A Cross Market Study of Abpara and Itwaar Bazaar.

The objective of the study is to assess the social willingness to pay and willingness to accept for demand of cloth bags and proposed paper bags This study is conducted in Islamabad with 150 sample size on primary data from Abpara market and Itwaar bazaar respectively .The data was treated through stata and through descriptive tools ,the research found that reuse of plastic bags are significant in both the markets but high at Itwaar bazaar and the study concluded that the proposed change to state of plastic culture, prevailing from many years was according to desired implications for the study area. Note: Muhammad Imran Khan is currently working with Professor Dr. Rehana Siddiqui on his MPhil thesis on ecological footprints

Interactions in sustainable supply chain management: a framework review

Purpose – This study evaluates the research conducted among the interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the stand-alone measures of economic, environmental, and social performance and the level of sustainability, as suggested in the Carter & Rogers (2008) framework. Design/methodology/approach – This paper conducts a systematic literature review based on the Tranfield et al. (2003) method of the articles published in 13 major journals in the area of supply chain management between the years of 2010 and 2016. Results were analyzed using an expert panel. Findings – The area of research between environmental and social performance is sparse and relegated to empirical investigation. As an important area of interaction, this area needs more research to answer the how and why questions. The economic activity seems to be the persistent theme among the interactions. Research implications – The literature on the “ES” interactions is lacking in both theoretical and analytical content. Studies explaining the motivations, optimal levels, and context that drive these interactions are needed. The extant research portrays economic performance as if it cannot be sacrificed for social welfare. This approach is not in line with the progressive view of SSCM but instead the binary view with an economic emphasis. Practical implications – To improve sustainability, organizations need the triple bottom line (TBL) framework that defines sustainability in isolation. However, they also need to understand how and why these interactions take place that drive sustainability in organizations. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the literature specifically dedicated to the essential, interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the gap between stand-alone performance and the TBL that creates true sustainability. It also shows how the literature views the existence of sustainability is progressive, but many describe sustainability as binary. It is possible that economic sustainability is binary, and progressive characterizations of SSCM could be the reason behind the results favoring economic performance over environmental and social

Eco-social integration of mobility policies in the EU: how Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans merge different policy dimensions in two Italian cities

openQuesto studio esamina l’integrazione eco-sociale delle politiche per la mobilità dell’Unione europea, con un focus sulla mobilità urbana. La Commissione europea ha riconosciuto la centralità dei trasporti nella realizzazione della libera circolazione degli individui, dei servizi e dei beni, e il loro ruolo essenziale a livello economico. Tuttavia, in quanto custodi di tali opportunità, i sistemi di trasporto sono associati a numerose sfide di natura sociale e ambientale. Infatti, oltre a contribuire all’inasprimento di diversi danni ecologici, questo settore è associato anche a significativi problemi sociali e di disuguaglianza, come l’accesso iniquo ai servizi, problemi sanitari legati alle emissioni di gas serra, le conseguenze dell’inquinamento acustico e il rischio di perdita di posti di lavoro dovuto alla transizione verde e digitale del sistema. Questa analisi sottolinea la necessità di bilanciare gli aspetti economici, sociali ed ambientali all’interno delle politiche per la mobilità sostenibile ed enfatizza l’importanza di integrare tali dimensioni. Inoltre, la ricerca esplora l’evoluzione delle politiche per la mobilità promosse dall’UE e la crescente identificazione dei Piani Urbani della Mobilità Sostenibile (PUMS) come soluzioni per un’efficace fusione delle prospettive ambientali e sociali. In particolare, viene proposta un’analisi dei PUMS elaborati all’interno delle città di Padova e Roma, al fine di esaminare l’influenza della scala sull’integrazione eco-sociale.This study examines the eco-social integration of mobility policies within the European Union, with a specific focus on urban mobility. The European Commission recognizes that transportation is essential for fulfilling the free movement of individuals, services, and goods, and it plays a significant role in the EU’s economy. However, as crucial gatekeepers, transportation systems are associated with various social and environmental challenges that policymakers should consider. While the transport sector contributes to significant environmental damages, it also creates social inequalities and challenges such as equal access to services, health issues, noise pollution, and job loss risk. The study highlights the need to balance economic, social, and environmental aspects in mobility policies and emphasizes the importance of integrating these dimensions. Moreover, this research explores the evolution of EU mobility policies and the increasing focus on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) as a solution for addressing environmental and social concerns in the EU. In particular, SUMPs are investigated at the micro level through the analysis of the case studies of Padova and Rome, to assess the influence of scale on the integration of eco-social dimensions

National Transport System Plan : Impact Assessment Programme

The National Transport System Plan guides the maintenance of the Finnish transport system and its development into the distant future. The plan will include an assessment of the current state and future operating environment of the Finnish transport system, the objectives for the transport system and the measures for meeting the objectives. National transport system planning will become a continuous process, which makes the development of the Finnish transport system more predictable and effective. When implemented, the transport system measures will have an impact on features such as the climate, the environment, society, the movement of people and transportation in the business sector. The impact assessment will increase understanding of the effects of developing the transport system, thus supporting both planning and decision-making. The assessment will render the planning solutions and decisions more transparent. The preparation of the National Transport System Plan assesses how the objectives set for the transport system are met. An environmental assessment will be made of the Transport System Plan according to the Act on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment (200/2005). The impact assessment programme describes the starting points and the objectives of the National Transport System Plan and the assessment of its impacts, the progress of the preparations, the impacts assessed and the interaction related to the preparations. The assessment programme is available for viewing in the autumn of 2019, and citizens, the authorities and stakeholders may express their views to support the preparations for planning and assessment