To Greener Pastures: An Action Research Study on the Environmental Sustainability of Humanitarian Supply Chains

Purpose: While humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) inherently contribute to social sustainability by alleviating the suffering of afflicted communities, their unintended adverse environmental impact has been overlooked hitherto. This paper draws upon contingency theory to synthesize green practices for HSCs, identify the contingency factors that impact on greening HSCs and explore how focal humanitarian organizations (HOs) can cope with such contingency factors. Design/methodology/approach: Deploying an action research methodology, two-and-a-half cycles of collaboration between researchers and a United Nations agency were completed. The first half-cycle developed a deductive greening framework, synthesizing extant green practices from the literature. In the second and third cycles, green practices were adopted/customized/developed reflecting organizational and contextual contingency factors. Action steps were implemented in the HSC for prophylactics, involving an operational mix of disaster relief and development programs. Findings: First, the study presents a greening framework that synthesizes extant green practices in a suitable form for HOs. Second, it identifies the contingency factors associated with greening HSCs regarding funding environment, stakeholders, field of activity and organizational management. Third, it outlines the mechanisms for coping with the contingency factors identified, inter alia, improving the visibility of headquarters over field operations, promoting collaboration and resource sharing with other HOs as well as among different implementing partners in each country, and working with suppliers for greener packaging. The study advances a set of actionable propositions for greening HSCs. Practical implications: Using an action research methodology, the study makes strong practical contributions. Humanitarian practitioners can adopt the greening framework and the lessons learnt from the implementation cycles presented in this study. Originality/value: This is one of the first empirical studies to integrate environmental sustainability and HSCs using an action research methodology

Preparing for future e-waste from photovoltaic modules: a circular economy approach

[EN] The increasing adoption rate of photovoltaic power generation shows that renewable energies have a bright future. Yet, this could be overshadowed by the unintended consequence of increased generation of Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) at the installations End-of-Life (EoL) stage. As countries find themselves dealing with the increasing WEEE issue, they may adopt different practices which, if wrongly implemented, could potentially backfire, creating additional issues especially among vulnerable social groups. This work proposes improving the WEEE management system by including the Informal Recyclers in the equation, benefitting social groups and material recovery through by delivering materials along different streams in the closed-loop supply chain. The proposed model intends to support the circular economy approach on waste management systems.The authors would like to thank the Instituto Brasileiro de Desenvolvimento e Sustentabilidade (IABS) for their interest and support on our research. Additionally, we would like to thank the projects funding David Hidalgo-Carvajal’s research: the WEDISTRICT project [founded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°857801], the “Campus UPM Circulares” project within the UPM Research Program [Programa Propio UPM 2020. Acción Estratégica en Ciencia y Tecnología], and “The Circular and Regenerative Campus” community from the EELISA European University Alliance.Hidalgo-Carvajal, D.; Carrasco-Gallego, R. (2022). Preparing for future e-waste from photovoltaic modules: a circular economy approach. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 10(2):131-141. https://doi.org/10.4995/ijpme.2022.16712OJS13114110

Metodologías para la Investigación en Gestión de Operaciones

This research project focuses on the issues related to the methods and techniques used for doing research in the academic area of Operations Management. There exists a growing need of enlarging the set of available methodologies to approach the challenges and decision-making problems in the field of manufacturing and logistics of goods and services. First, we introduce several observations about science and scientific research. Then we go on to analyze four currently usual research methodologies in the Operations Management area: case study research, action-research, survey research and quantitative modelling and simulation. The document concludes by comparing the different methods and proposing a guideline to select the most suitable research methodology depending on the research questions of the inquiry

A management model for closed-loop supply chains of reusable articles

This PhD dissertation is framed in the emergent fields of Reverse Logistics and ClosedLoop Supply Chain (CLSC) management. This subarea of supply chain management has gained researchers and practitioners' attention over the last 15 years to become a fully recognized subdiscipline of the Operations Management field. More specifically, among all the activities that are included within the CLSC area, the focus of this dissertation is centered in direct reuse aspects. The main contribution of this dissertation to current knowledge is twofold. First, a framework for the so-called reuse CLSC is developed. This conceptual model is grounded in a set of six case studies conducted by the author in real industrial settings. The model has also been contrasted with existing literature and with academic and professional experts on the topic as well. The framework encompasses four building blocks. In the first block, a typology for reusable articles is put forward, distinguishing between Returnable Transport Items (RTI), Reusable Packaging Materials (RPM), and Reusable Products (RP). In the second block, the common characteristics that render reuse CLSC difficult to manage from a logistical standpoint are identified, namely: fleet shrinkage, significant investment and limited visibility. In the third block, the main problems arising in the management of reuse CLSC are analyzed, such as: (1) define fleet size dimension, (2) control cycle time and promote articles rotation, (3) control return rate and prevent shrinkage, (4) define purchase policies for new articles, (5) plan and control reconditioning activities, and (6) balance inventory between depots. Finally, in the fourth block some solutions to those issues are developed. Firstly, problems (2) and (3) are addressed through the comparative analysis of alternative strategies for controlling cycle time and return rate. Secondly, a methodology for calculating the required fleet size is elaborated (problem (1)). This methodology is valid for different configurations of the physical flows in the reuse CLSC. Likewise, some directions are pointed out for further development of a similar method for defining purchase policies for new articles (problem (4)). The second main contribution of this dissertation is embedded in the solutions part (block 4) of the conceptual framework and comprises a two-level decision problem integrating two mixed integer linear programming (MILP) models that have been formulated and solved to optimality using AIMMS as modeling language, CPLEX as solver and Excel spreadsheet for data introduction and output presentation. The results obtained are analyzed in order to measure in a client-supplier system the economic impact of two alternative control strategies (recovery policies) in the context of reuse. In addition, the models support decision-making regarding the selection of the appropriate recovery policy against the characteristics of demand pattern and the structure of the relevant costs in the system. The triangulation of methods used in this thesis has enabled to address the same research topic with different approaches and thus, the robustness of the results obtained is strengthened

A management model for closed-loop supply chains of reusable articles: defining the issues

In this paper a conceptual model for the management of closed-loop supply chains of reusable articles is put forward. This framework condenses the more relevant managerial issues arising when reuse is carried out in industrial practice. The model intends to be a guideline for practitioners dealing with this type of challenges and constitutes a first step towards the mitigation of the problematic issues involved in reuse. In further developments of this research, we propose solutions to some of the issues identified here

Current Trends in Recovering Used Products in Retail Fashion Industry: An Exploratory Study

The fashion industry is currently shifting towards sustainable practices through the entire supply chain. Many fashion retailers like H&M, Zara and others consider sustainability the cornerstone of their corporate social responsibility programs. At the same time, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is holding manu-facturers and retailers responsible, especially in Europe, for waste generated at end-of-use and end-of-life phases for some specific products. Finding alternatives to the landfill for textile waste will extend textile life, contributing to the development of circular economy and sustainable business models in the fashion industry. This study identifies and characterizes, as a first stage research, current practices of product recovery for used textile in France and Germany using comparative case studies. Characterizing the reverse logistics models for textiles in each country will help to identify best practices for recovering used clothing in Europe

Reverse logistics systems for waste generated throughout vehicles life-cycle

Waste produced during the service life of automobiles has received much less attention than end-of-life vehicles themselves. In this paper, we deal with the set up of a reverse logistics system for the collection and treatment of use-phase residues. First, the type of waste arising during vehicles? service life is characterized. Data were collected in collaboration with SIGRAUTO, the product stewardship organization in charge of vehicles? recovery in Spain. Next, three organizational models are proposed. The three alternatives are benchmarked and assessed from a double organizational and operational perspective for the particular case of the Madrid region in Spai

Reuse or recycle? Recovery options for end-of-use mobile phones in Spain

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the most important recovery options for end-of-use mobile phones in Spain. We start with a description of the reverse logistics system for mobile phones in Spain. The two main alternatives for this end-of-use e-waste are: reuse and recycling. The study includes the characterization of the different actors involved in the reverse logistics system (collectors, third-party take-back enterprises, sorting facilities, recyclers...) and a description of the most common logistics practices in the sector. We will also analyze the implications of different recovery options for end-of-use mobile phones. Currently the percentage of mobile phones reused is rather larger than those recycled. Special attention has to be paid to the resale channel on secondary markets. We conclude that we need to regulate this second-hand mobile phone market. Finally, we propose an alternative logistic model for improving this closed-loop supply chain: an integrated model for recovering mobile phones (which includes both options) that allows achieving economies of scale