Sustainable fibre for sustainable fashion supply chains: where the journey to sustainability begins

Adopting a sustainable business model is an essential element of gaining competitive advantage. Specifically, the management of fashion and textile supply chains characterized by geographical extension requires paying particular attention to environmental and social sustainability. Following an analysis of the literature on sustainable supply chains in the fashion and textile industries, this qualitatively based research examines – from a supply chain perspective – the sustainability initiatives implemented by a yarn and garment producer through a single case study. Subsequently, the classification of potential sustainability initiatives is presented. From this investigation, several good practices for sustainable fashion supply chains can be identified, providing a reference point for similar companies. Keywords: sustainable fashion supply chain, sustainable textiles, closed loop supply chai

Cross-collaborative supply chains. How logistics services contribute to social responsibility.

Abstract Purpose - The collaboration between profit and nonprofit entities has become a burning topic in supply chain management studies and corporate strategies. The world’s largest logistics service providers (LSPs) have been developing several practices improving social responsibility while collaborating with nonprofit actors. In particular, their core competences and offered services become extremely relevant in the context of humanitarian logistics initiatives. A key purpose of this article is to examine the projects currently undertaken by LSPs in humanitarian logistics. Methodology/Approach - This research follows a qualitative approach based on multiple case studies. Findings - The paper provides an overview of the leading LSPs’ involvement in humanitarian logistics and presents an analysis of their current “best practices” services in disaster relief with high impact in terms of social responsibility. Research Limitations/implications - There has been increased interest on the part of international academic and professional communities in humanitarian logistics. This study constitutes a platform for benchmarking analysis of logistics services to assure effective implementation of social responsibility principles. Originality/Value of paper - Humanitarian logistics is a rather new field in logistics management. This paper addresses the innovative socially responsible initiatives undertaken by the main international LSPs in the area of humanitarian logistics. Keywords - logistics services, logistics service providers, humanitarian logistics and supply chain management, disaster relief, social responsibility, profit/nonprofit collaboration Type of paper - Research pape

Sustainable supply chain management needs sustainable logistics services. The strategic role played by logistics service providers

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of sustainable service co-creation in triadic business relationships in logistics and supply chain management. More companies seek to develop sustainable solutions that would not be sustainable exclusively for themselves but for the supply chain they belong to. In doing that – especially when dealing with services – they may need the external support from logistics service providers (LSPs). This paper aims to explore the innovative initiatives undertaken by LSPs in triadic relationship management with their customers and suppliers while co-creating sustainable services along the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the research question, a systematic literature review and empirical exploratory investigation through case study will be conducted adopting the qualitative methodology, to explore trends and evolving paradigms. Findings – A literature review conducted in this paper enriches existing literature through an integration of sustainability in a viable system approach and logistics service provision, in particular, it investigates the ways in which sustainability is achieved. It is assumed that the triadic relationship among an LSP and its customers and suppliers requires significant modifications in collaboration and an innovative approach in operating procedures. Research limitations/implications – This paper is an exploratory study and limited in its scope to an example of a relationship that focuses mainly on three actors: the supplier, the LSP and the customer. However, it could be extended in terms of numbers of case studies investigated. Practical implications – The implications arising from the literature and the empirical research offer a range of current sustainable practices in the services sector. This could be a starting point for other research and company activities. Originality/value – There is little research that addresses the issue of sustainability and logistics service providers simultaneously, hence the present paper is meant to fill the gap by providing a foundation which actors of different supply chains could use as a benchmark. This study gives evidence of how logistics services may contribute to sustainable development. Key words – sustainable supply chain management, logistics service providers, viable system approach, co-creation, business relationship managemen

Gestione sostenibile della supply chain: ruoli, attori e strumenti. Un’indagine esplorativa sulle supply chain del tessile-abbigliamento

Il presente lavoro si propone di indagare un’evoluzione degli approcci alle tematiche relative alla sostenibilità, ponendo in evidenza come nel corso degli ultimi anni, la sua gestione sia divenuta una prerogativa dell’intera catena di fornitura piuttosto che di una singola impresa. Nonostante sia stato ampiamente evidenziato in letteratura che la sostenibilità perseguita a livello strategico da un'unica impresa sia una condizione importante, questa tesi dimostra la necessità di andare oltre tale visione che si rivela essere non più sufficiente nell’era dell’economia globale. Ciò vuol dire che l’impresa che vuole gestire con successo la supply chain sostenibile e ottenere maggiori benefici deve considerare il grado con cui anche i partner commerciali realizzano il business responsabile (Dyllick e Hockerts, 2002; Bai e Sarkis, 2010). Questo a conferma del fatto che “sustainability to be durable, companies must ‘‘build’’ beyond their own borders” (Ageron et al., 2011, p.169). Considerando anche che gli attori delle supply chain qui analizzati operano all’interno di contesti più ampi, l’implementazione e il management delle pratiche da loro promosse, dovrebbe assumere una visione più estesa allo scopo di guardare oltre una singola impresa e orientare gli sforzi verso l’industria di riferimento nel suo insieme. Il lavoro è strutturato in 3 parti. Nella prima parte sono state evidenziate le relazioni che intercorrono tra l’impresa e quella che in senso lato viene detta sostenibilità. Questo approfondimento introduttivo si è reso necessario per comprendere come l’impresa possa coniugare i comportamenti responsabili al suo interno per poi diffonderli nelle supply chain di riferimento. Infatti, l’obiettivo del secondo capitolo, dopo una descrizione dei trend nello scenario competitivo attuale, è quello di porre in evidenza i principali processi nei quali le supply chain sono attualmente coinvolte e discutere gli strumenti che le imprese possono adottare per diffondere le pratiche sostenibili all’interno delle catene di fornitura. In tal senso è stato evidenziato come il servizio logistico può contribuire alla gestione sostenibile della supply chain in virtù della loro presenza durante l’espletamento di diversi processi. L’ultima parte della tesi, sviluppata anche durante il periodo di ricerca all’estero presso il Social Innovation Center dell’Insead (Fontainbleau), analizza il contributo delle supply chain operanti nel settore tessile-abbigliamento allo sviluppo sostenibile. In questa parte sono stati rappresentati i primi risultati della ricerca condotta, progettata e sviluppata dall’autore insieme alla Sustainable Apparel Coalition (associazione no profit di riferimento in ambito internazionale per i diversi membri della supply chain nella misurazione delle performance di sostenibilità). Nella presente tesi confluiscono alcune tematiche precedentemente approfondite nel corso di dottorato di ricerca insieme agli articoli pubblicati sulle riviste nazionali e internazionali e contributi a convegni nazionali e internazionali

Reporting di sostenibilità degli operatori logistici in Europa: analisi degli indicatori

Obiettivi: L’affermazione di una nuova concezione del valore, basata sulle qualità e non sull’insostenibile aumento delle quantità di merci e consumi, induce gli operatori logistici alla ricerca di azioni che possano essere nel contempo economicamente efficienti ed efficaci, ecologicamente sopportabili e socialmente giuste. Il presente lavoro ha l’obiettivo di investigare e identificare le azioni sostenibili - economiche, ambientali e sociali - intraprese dagli operatori logistici. Metodologia: Il quadro teorico è stato costruito attraverso lo studio della letteratura accademica nazionale e internazionale. La parte empirica è stata sviluppata attraverso l’analisi dei più recenti report di sostenibilità degli operatori logistici operanti in Europa, redatti secondo gli standard della Global Reporting Initiative. Risultati: Gli operatori logistici possono contribuire in modo significativo al cambiamento paradigmatico in atto, facilitando e favorendo, in qualità di fornitori di servizi, il raggiungimento della sostenibilità della supply chain. Limiti della ricerca: Il presente lavoro costituisce la fase preliminare di un più approfondito progetto di ricerca che indaghi le iniziative di sostenibilità degli operatori logistici a livello mondiale e che consideri un arco temporale di osservazione utile a tracciare il trend in atto. Implicazioni pratiche: Sia l’accademia che il mondo professionale possono trovare utile l’analisi della letteratura sul tema e i primi risultati ottenuti, in quanto sono posti in evidenzia i principali tratti di sostenibilità degli operatori logistici che già hanno intrapreso il percorso verso la sostenibilità. Originalità del lavoro: Gli studi della letteratura esistente sugli operatori logistici e la sostenibilità si basano quasi esclusivamente sulla sostenibilità ambientale e l’ecoefficienza, mentre manca un approccio sistemico capace di superare i problemi odierni mediante la valorizzazione della multidimensionalità. Il lavoro contribuisce a colmare questo gap

Fiber-to-the-wireless: How Linkem has become an Italian

The Internet has been powerfully revolutionizing our way of living and soaking each of its aspects to the point that being constantly connected has become almost our primary need. The number of internet service providers has been increasing and that has permitted to proposing personalized and simultaneously economic offers. What has been changing continually is the use of technology that enables us to access the internet; starting from the first experiences of the fixed internet to the wireless internet. In this chapter, we show how the young Italian Internet Service Provider Linkem has been introducing and developing an innovative accessibility to the internet. We discuss how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Service management are being managed efficiently through a framework called the Unified Service Desk

SAP - Intelligent Enterprise Resource Planning

By 2020, the global Gross Domestic Product is predicted to originate in 50% from the digitized activities with a growth in each industry (International Data Corporation, 2017). In the scenario where the digital transformation will be following the business in everyday activities, companies like SAP are assuming an important role. Established in 1972 as a team of five colleagues, after more than forty years SAP is considered a world leader in enterprise applications. SAP has been supporting businesses (80% SMEs) as ambitiously exposed by its slogan “Helping the world run better”. SAP has changed enterprise software and reinvented how the business was done and nothing seems to stop its willingness to innovate. The cloud ERP, powered by the Internet of Things, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, Analytics, and Business Intelligence are the challenges that SAP customers are starting to address. The Intelligent Enterprise framework recently developed represents the highest expression of how SAP is being aligned with the most advanced technologies. The focus of the company was and will remain to bring those technologies to solve the business problems. In the situation where one-third of technology investments will be driven by the digital transformation initiative in the next few years and where this transformation will move towards cloud-enabled ERP and enterprise applications SAP with its applications, technologies and platform seems to be the right partner. In this chapter, through the experience of two Italian companies - Feralpi and iGuzzini illuminazione - the development of the right solutions by SAP in the adventure of digital transformation is presented

Sustainability reporting of logistics service providers in Europe

Logistics service providers (LSPs) can contribute to the creation of environmentally sustainable supply chains. This research examines which of the internal and external practices that LSPs claim to promote are actually of value in achieving sustainability across the logistics sector as a whole and in the relevant supply chains in which they operate. After an analysis of the literature, the authors draw up a list of relevant environmental concerns based on the Global Reporting Initiatives database and propose a potential classification scheme for current practices of selected LSPs operating in Europe. Our research adds to current knowledge in the field by integrating environmental sustainability with LSP activities and constitutes a platform for benchmark analysis with a view to introducing sustainable practices

Logistics service providers’ good practices for sustainable supply chain management.

Extended abstract Background Sustainable development, that entails considering the possibilities of future generations while satisfying the needs of the present ones, requires from the companies to do business but at the same time prevent or reduce the damages on environment and society as a whole (Bruntlandt et al., 1987). This commonly shared attention is partially guided by the need of transparency on environmental and social issues expressed by the multiple companies’ stakeholders (Siew, 2015). That is why a growing number of industries have been recently engaging into the initiatives that would express clearly their interest toward the issues of sustainability. In the current global scenario the incorporation of these aspects into the single companies daily routines is crucial, but some major efforts are needed since we deal with the supply chain competition (Sahay, 2003; Christopher 2005; Cozzolino, 2009; Massaroni and Cozzolino, 2012; Asby et al., 2012). Companies are embedded in the numerous external relationships that are crucial for the product manufacturing and service delivery. Formerly, the way in which these connections were established contributed directly to the success of supply chains in terms of quality, efficiency and effectiveness. Nowadays, as supply chains are called upon to accomplish the sustainability requirements, companies are assessed basing on their supply chain sustainability efforts and performance as well (Linton et al., 2007; Carter and Rogers, 2008). Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) - that presupposes the “voluntary integration of economic, environmental and social considerations with key inter-organizational business systems” - permits at the same time to “meet stakeholder requirements and improve the profitability, competitiveness, and resilience of the organization over the short- and long-term” (Ahi and Searcy, 2013, p.39). The SSCM is somehow the expression of corporate social responsibility, referring to: “integrating social and environmental concerns in their [companies’] business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis”(European Commission, 2001, p. 8). Purpose From a supply chain perspective sustainability depends on different actors and on relationships among them. The logistics service providers (LSP) contribution can be relevant due to their presence in different stages of supply chains. Furthermore, LSPs can invest in sustainability through innovations, which they can incorporate into their own organisation’s products/services and processes; and, subsequently share them with a large number of customers and clients they serve in the manufacturing and commercial fields. In doing so LSPs may multiply the positive effects of their sustainable activities for all the served clients, especially in business-to-business markets (Cozzolino, 2009; Massaroni and Cozzolino, 2012; Cozzolino et al., 2015), so that the improvement of logistics services can be assured during the entire sustainability journey. Moreover LSPs have the potential to help mitigate the three aspects that are most frequently mentioned in the literature as barriers to the implementation of sustainable supply chains, namely higher costs, complexity and the greater effort of coordination, insufficient, or even missing, communication between actors along the supply chain (Seuring and Muller, 2008). Much of the literature on LSPs and sustainability relate almost exclusively to environmental sustainability and eco-efficiency, and lack a more systemic approach that simultaneously includes the three dimensions - environmental, social and economic - and a network perspective of analysis along the supply chain instead of the alone single business view (Cozzolino et al., 2015). In fact, the potential of LSPs as enablers of sustainable management of the supply chain is not much debated in the foregoing research (Kudla and Klaas-Wissing, 2012; Colicchia et al., 2013). The aim of this paper is thus to examine how logistics service providers (LSPs) at global level implement the environmental and social sustainability internally and in their supply chains. Methodology Sustainable services offered by LSPs for sustainability have an important impact. Although the importance of the sustainability of services offered by LSPs emerges in various contributions, nevertheless there is still much to understand empirically in terms of specific actions taken by these actors within the three dimensions of sustainability and in a network perspective. To go deeper in this direction, it is interesting to analyse the growing trend of companies, which voluntarily express their commitment to sustainability through the activities of “sustainability reporting”. There are many tools that companies can adopt to communicate their efforts in doing business with environmental and social considerations (Siew, 2015). One of many possible framework to adopt for disclosure of these interests is Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) (Fernandez-Feijoo et al., 2014; Brown et al., 2009; KPMG, 2011; Manetti and Becatti, 2009; Nikolaeva and Bicho, 2011). Furthermore, many researchers have recognized it as most common standard worldwide (Supino and Sica, 2011; Marimon et al., 2012; Roca e Searcy, 2012). In 2013 the fourth generation of sustainability reporting guidelines-GRI G4 have been introduced. The G4 guidelines require from the companies to broaden their boundaries and to evaluate environmental and social impacts of their supply chains as well. The need to focus on overall supply chain performance derives from the fact that “the sustainability of an individual organization may, or may not, be compatible with the sustainability of society as a whole, which is attained by addressing social, economic and environmental aspects in an integrated manner” (Buck et al., 2014). This study follows a multiple cases approach (Yin, 1994), excellent for providing detailed explanations of best practices (Ellram, 1996), on all the LSPs operating at global level that are present in GRI-G4 database. Original value and implications The contribution of this paper is to extend and question the existing literature on LSPs and supply chain sustainability. Our research suggests that there are many opportunities for LSPs to improve sustainability internally and along the entire supply chain they belong. The results of this research may be of particular interest to academics and practitioners, supporting the creation of an agenda for the engagement in the realization of sustainable initiatives in the supply chain. Especially the support of sustainable LSPs to their clients is increasingly a requirement for the selection of the LSPs by the clients’ own business. Thus this study provides an insight into how LSPs direct their environmentally and socially efforts from their supply chain perspective. For multiple business realities, and particularly SME enterprises, that can be of interest: several good practices described in the present research can be the source of inspiration for these companies while pursuing the environmental and social sustainability. This is the first study that analyse the contribution of all the international LSPs to the (environmental, social and economic) sustainable supply chain management according to the latest guidelines published by GRI