UNSUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD COMPANIES

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 4, 165 - 172, 31.12.2022

Ahmet Kaya , A. Zafer Acar

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the sustainable food companies within the scope of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). It also aims to reveal what are the challenges food companies face in their sustainable supply chains. In addition, it is aimed to show which points should be focused on in sustainable supply chain management.
Methodology - For this purpose, sustainability pages on the corporate website of 30 food companies operating in Turkey were analyzed with content analysis by adopting a qualitative research paradigm and an interpretive framework. While analyzing the contents, first of all, it was investigated at which dimensions the food companies attach importance to in the Triple Bottom Line approach. Secondly, the elements that food companies pay attention to while they integrate the supply chain into their sustainability practices were examined. Lastly, it was analyzed in which dimension of the sustainable supply chain management the food companies are located.
Findings - The findings of the study indicated that 23 of the food companies were found to be sustainable businesses according to the Triple Bottom Line approach. However, it was demonstrated that the same companies could not provide sustainability in supply chain management. In this sense, it was understood that one of the biggest reasons for this is that companies ignore the concept of “risk management”.
Conclusion - As a result, the points that food companies have difficulty in sustainable supply chain management have been revealed. With this study, practical contributions were provided to the companies in terms of enabling them to evaluate themselves on this issue. In addition to this, the study also contributes to the field by building on the studies investigating sustainable supply chain management and providing a different perspective with the investigation of the issue from a TBL approach.

Keywords

Sustainability, triple bottom line, supply chain management, sustainable supply chain management

References

• Abbasi, M. (2012). Themes and challenges in developing sustainable supply chains. Lund University.
• Accorsi, R., Cholette, S., Manzini, R., & Tufano, A. (2018). A hierarchical data architecture for sustainable food supply chain management and planning. Journal of Cleaner Production, 203, 1039-1054.
• Ageron, B., Gunasekaran, A., & Spalanzani, A. (2012). Sustainable supply management: An empirical study. International Journal of Production Economics, 140(1), 168-182.
• Alzoubi, H., Ahmed, G., Al-Gasaymeh, A., & Kurdi, B. (2020). Empirical study on sustainable supply chain strategies and its impact on competitive priorities: The mediating role of supply chain collaboration. Management Science Letters, 10(3), 703-708.
• Birchall, J. (2010). Walmart to set emissions goals for suppliers. Financial Times, 2(25), 2010.
• Carbon Disclosure Project, 2011. Carbon disclosure project supply chain report 2011: Migrating to a low carbon economy through leadership and collaboration. Carbon Disclosure Project.
• Carew, A. L., & Mitchell, C. A. (2008). Teaching sustainability as a contested concept: Capitalizing on variation in engineering educators' conceptions of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(1), 105-115.
• Carter, C. R., & Easton, P. L. (2011). Sustainable supply chain management: Evolution and future directions. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management.
• Carter, C. R., & Rogers, D. S. (2008). A framework of sustainable supply chain management: Moving toward new theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management.
• Elkington, J. (2018). 25 years ago I coined the phrase “triple bottom line.” Here’s why it’s time to rethink it. Harvard Business Review, 25, 2-5.
• Gedik, Y. (2021). Sürdürülebilir tedarik zinciri yönetimi ve sürdürülebilirliğin tedarik zincirleri üzerindeki etkileri: Kavramsal bir değerlendirme. International Journal of Management Economics & Business, 17(3).
• Göbel, C., Langen, N., Blumenthal, A., Teitscheid, P., & Ritter, G. (2015). Cutting food waste through cooperation along the food supply chain. Sustainability, 7(2), 1429-1445.
• Hall, G. M. (2011). Fish processing–sustainability and new opportunities. Wiley Online Library.
• Hervani, A. A., Helms, M. M., & Sarkis, J. (2005). Performance measurement for green supply chain management. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
• Kirwan, J., Maye, D., & Brunori, G. (2017). Acknowledging complexity in food supply chains when assessing their performance and sustainability. Journal of Rural Studies, 52, 21-32.
• Krishnan, R., Agarwal, R., Bajada, C., & Arshinder, K. (2020). Redesigning a food supply chain for environmental sustainability–an analysis of resource use and recovery. Journal of Cleaner Production, 242.
• Mathivathanan, D., Kannan, D., & Haq, A. N. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management practices in Indian automotive industry: A multi-stakeholder view. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 128, 284-305.
• Mbow, C., Rosenzweig, C., Barioni, L. G., Benton, T. G., Herrero, M., Krishnapillai, M., ... & Xu, Y. (2019). Food security in climate change and land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• Mentzer, J. T., DeWitt, W., Keebler, J. S., Min, S., Nix, N. W., Smith, C. D., & Zacharia, Z. G. (2001). Defining supply chain management. Journal of Business Logistics, 22(2), 1-25.
• Modica, P. D., Altinay, L., Farmaki, A., Gursoy, D., & Zenga, M. (2020). Consumer perceptions towards sustainable supply chain practices in the hospitality industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(3), 358-375.
• Ross, R. B., Pandey, V., & Ross, K. L. (2015). Sustainability and strategy in US agri-food firms: An assessment of current practices. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 18(1030-2016-83052), 17-47.
• Sajjad, A., Eweje, G., & Tappin, D. (2020). Managerial perspectives on drivers for and barriers to sustainable supply chain management implementation: Evidence from New Zealand. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(2), 592-604.
• Shaverdi, M., Ramezani, I., & Rostamy, A. A. A. (2016). Multi-criteria decision making models for sustainable and green supply chain management based on fuzzy approach. In Fuzzy Optimization and Multi-Criteria Decision Making in Digital Marketing, 291-307.
• Silva, M. E., Dias, G. P., & Gold, S. (2021). Exploring the roles of lead organisations in spreading sustainability standards throughout food supply chains in an emerging economy. The International Journal of Logistics Management.
• Soubbotina, T. P. (2004). Beyond economic growth: An introduction to sustainable development. World Bank Publications.
• Tseng, M. L., Islam, M. S., Karia, N., Fauzi, F. A., & Afrin, S. (2019). A literature review on green supply chain management: Trends and future challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 141, 145-162.
• Tukker, A., & Jansen, B. (2006). Environmental impacts of products: A detailed review of studies. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 10(3), 159-182.
• Wang, J., & Dai, J. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management practices and performance. Industrial Management & Data Systems.
• WCED, (1987). World commission on environment and development. Our common future, 17(1), 1-91.
• Wittstruck, D., & Teuteberg, F. (2012). Integrating the concept of sustainability into the partner selection process: A fuzzy-ahp-topsis approach. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 12(2), 195-226.
• Yadav, G., Luthra, S., Jakhar, S. K., Mangla, S. K., & Rai, D. P. (2020). A framework to overcome sustainable supply chain challenges through solution measures of industry 4.0 and circular economy: An automotive case. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, 120112.
• Zeng, H., Chen, X., Xiao, X., & Zhou, Z. (2017). Institutional pressures, sustainable supply chain management, and circular economy capability: Empirical evidence from Chinese eco-industrial park firms. Journal of cleaner production, 155, 54-65.
• Zhu, Z., Chu, F., Dolgui, A., Chu, C., Zhou, W., & Piramuthu, S. (2018). Recent advances and opportunities in sustainable food supply chain: A model-oriented review. International Journal of Production Research, 56(17), 5700-5722