Sustainable operations and closed-loop supply chains

This book is targeted to MBA students, executive MBA students, and middle to upper level managers in general (especially in executive programs). The book can be viewed as firm's journey towards sustainability, starting from zero. A firm that wants to be sustainable considers the triple bottom line when making decisions: it considers economic (profit), environmental (planet), and social (people) impacts when making decisions. By focusing on the triple bottom line (3Ps), the firm ensures a steady supply of inputs such as raw materials and labor. The first step towards sustainability is aimed at reducing waste in operations, with the help of such tools as lean and six-sigma (chapter 3). The firm then performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) for each of its main products and processes. LCA is a methodology designed to assess the environmental impact (such as energy consumption and toxicity) of a product or process through its life cycle: raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, packaging and distribution, use by consumers, and end-of-life. With a better understanding of the major impacts, the firm then implements actions that reduce its environmental impact (which in many cases also improves the economic bottom line), that is, the firm aims to be eco-efficient. Examples here include 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) initiatives, implementing an ISO 14000-certified environmental management system, reducing the firm's carbon footprint through energy sourcing from renewable sources, and green buildings, such as LEED certified buildings.