System dynamics-based modelling and analysis of greening the construction industry supply chain

Increasing concern on global warming and corporate social responsibility have made environmental issues an area of importance to address for governments and businesses across the world. Among the Middle East countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops the list in terms of per capita energy spending and per capita carbon footprints. The construction industry is the major contributor to environmental pollution due to its size and nature of activity. The rapid growth of construction sector has a significant environmental impact with increase in carbon footprints. This paper analyses the environmental implications of the rapidly growing construction industry in UAE using system dynamics approach. Quantitative modelling of the construction industry supply chain helps to measure the dynamic interaction between its various factors under multiple realistic scenarios. The potential carbon savings and the impact of each factor are calculated using scenario development analysis. The paper has addressed in detail the various drivers and inhibitors of carbon emission in the construction industry supply chain and ways to evaluate the carbon savings. The paper provides an analytical decision framework to assess emissions of all stages applicable to the construction industry supply chain

An application of hybrid life cycle assessment as a decision support framework for green supply chains

In an effort to achieve sustainable operations, green supply chain management has become an important area for firms to concentrate on due to its inherent involvement with all the processes that provide foundations to successful business. Modelling methodologies of product supply chain environmental assessment are usually guided by the principles of life cycle assessment (LCA). However, a review of the extant literature suggests that LCA techniques suffer from a wide range of limitations that prevent a wider application in real-world contexts; hence, they need to be incorporated within decision support frameworks to aid environmental sustainability strategies. Thus, this paper contributes in understanding and overcoming the dichotomy between LCA model development and the emerging practical implementation to inform carbon emissions mitigation strategies within supply chains. Therefore, the paper provides both theoretical insights and a practical application to inform the process of adopting a decision support framework based on a LCA methodology in a real-world scenario. The supply chain of a product from the steel industry is considered to evaluate its environmental impact and carbon ‘hotspots’. The study helps understanding how operational strategies geared towards environmental sustainability can be informed using knowledge and information generated from supply chain environmental assessments, and for highlighting inherent challenges in this process

Toward greener supply chains: is there a role for the new ISO 50001 approach to energy and carbon management?

© 2016, The Author(s). Considering the increased interest of stakeholders in climate change and a low-carbon economy, this article has investigated and identified several contributions of the ISO 50001 in support of the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM). In this context, energy efficiency and reduced CO 2 emissions are critical. Therefore, the proposal for and the requirements of ISO 50001 can generate useful insights on how to structure green and low-carbon supply chains, hence helping to address the challenges posed by climate change

Assessing the green supply chain management for the United Arab Emirates construction industry

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) construction industry has been witnessing an unprecedented growth in the last two decades. As a result, the sector is facing a major challenge of reducing the carbon footprint and thus creating major concern for the governments and the environmental agencies in the UAE. The chapter discusses the role of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) in achieving sustainability in the UAE construction industry. The various stages of GSCM applicable to the construction industry are critically assessed along with green performance measures in achieving environmental, economic and operational performance. Finally, the chapter provides a list of recommendations that could be used by practitioners and policy makers in implementing and measuring sustainability practices in the construction industry

Analysis of reverse logistics operations for a computer company

As reverse logistics is a relatively new field in supply chain management, especially in Asia, a detailed study is conducted to understand the status of companies practicing reverse logistics to support their Asia Pacific operations. This paper discusses an empirical examination of a company performing reverse logistics in Asia with Singapore being the coordination hub with the United States (US). Data on the transaction volumes and other material information are collected over a period of two years to understand the behaviour and trends of reverse logistics in this company. Statistical tools such as serial correlation, seasonality and trend analysis are performed on the data to understand their behaviour and its managerial implication. The study has shown that there is an upward trend for the return volume and how financial closing has an impact to the return volumes

Enhancing the supply chain management performance using information technology: Some evidence from UAE companies

The objective of this paper is to investigate Supply Chain Management (SCM) performance of selected companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) countries upon successful implementation of Information Technology (IT) applications. By carrying out an in-depth qualitative analysis, the paper seeks to evaluate how IT can enhance the SCM performance from a practitioner perspective. The survey results have indicated that respondents are aware that adopting IT does not necessarily translate to immediate benefits. Companies in UAE will, therefore, need to 'educate' their senior managers on using IT systems to streamline their supply chain operations, reduce cycle time and improve supply chain visibility. While most respondents have implemented IT systems for transactional processing, more can be done to implement more advanced IT systems for better planning and decision-making. © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Analysis of vendor managed inventory practices for greater supply chain performance

For a globalised supply chain to be responsive, the firm should have the ability to meet short lead times, respond to wide ranges of quantities demanded, handle a large variety of products, build highly innovative products and meet a very high service level. Vendor managed inventory (VMI) is one such supply chain practice where the vendor is given the sole responsibility to monitor and manage the inventory of the retailer. This paper attempts to analyse this supply chain practice and illustrate the key elements of this system and the role it plays in the overall supply chain. The benefits and risks of theVMI system are also analysed. The design and implementation steps for this supply chain practice are extensively reviewed. The analysis of industries which would benefit from implementing this system is also conducted. An investigation is attempted to see if any industries in the UAE are using VMI

Analysis of vendor managed inventory practices for greater supply chain performance

For a globalised supply chain to be responsive, the firm should have the ability to meet short lead times, respond to wide ranges of quantities demanded, handle a large variety of products, build highly innovative products and meet a very high service level. Vendor managed inventory (VMI) is one such supply chain practice where the vendor is given the sole responsibility to monitor and manage the inventory of the retailer. This paper attempts to analyse this supply chain practice and illustrate the key elements of this system and the role it plays in the overall supply chain. The benefits and risks of the VMI system are also analysed. The design and implementation steps for this supply chain practice are extensively reviewed. The analysis of industries which would benefit from implementing this system is also conducted. An investigation is attempted to see if any industries in the UAE are using VMI

Modeling carbon footprints across the supply chain

10.1016/j.ijpe.2010.01.018International Journal of Production Economics128143-50IJPC