Future aspect of acquisition management in closed-loop supply chain

This paper reviews the current development and practices in closed-loop supply chain under content analysis of the published literatures. A comprehensive literature review of recent and state-of-the-art paper is vital to draw a framework and to shed light on the future direction. We have reviewed here articles on remanufacturing with special emphasis on literature related to acquisition management of returned items. For review of articles, various web-based search engine, books, journal and conference proceeding are selected and reviewed. The research papers are then analysed and categorized to construct useful foundation of past research. The review shows that current researchers are focusing on devising pricing policies to attract used products from customers. Finally, gaps in the literature are identified to suggest future research opportunities.     

Identifying the factors influencing the performance of reverse supply chains (RSC)

This paper aims to extract the factors influencing the performance of reverse supply chains (RSCs) based on the structure equation model (SEM). We first introduce the definition of RSC and describe its current status and follow this with a literature review of previous RSC studies and the technology acceptance model . We next develop our research model and 11 hypotheses and then use SEM to test our model and identify those factors that actually influence the success of RSC. Next, we use both questionnaire and web‐based methods to survey five companies which have RSC operation experience in China and Korea. Using the 168 responses, we used measurement modeling test and SEM to validate our proposed hypotheses. As a result, nine hypotheses were accepted while two were rejected. We found that ease of use, perceived usefulness, service quality, channel relationship and RSC cost were the five most important factors which influence the success of RSC. Finally, we conclude by highlighting our research contribution and propose future research.     

A hybrid model for remanufacturing facility location problem in a closed-loop supply chain

Traditional supply chain design is merely based on the open loop or forward flow of materials, neglecting reverse flow for recovery of materials despite the recent concerns of customers and governments about environmental and production cost reductions. New supply chain design should be closed loop which implements traditional supply chain concepts with reverse flow or a material recovery system to reduce production cost and enhance customer satisfaction about environmental consciousness and to meet legal requirements. In our research, we designed a closed-loop supply chain which consists of recovery options such as collection centres and remanufacturing plants (reverse flow) in addition to traditional supply chain tiers (forward flow), and tried to find the best location for these facilities in a discrete space based on decision makers' opinions. Since there are uncertainties about decision parameters in an uncapacitated facility location problem, we implemented the fuzzy TOPSIS method to solve the location decision problem and find the best place to locate a remanufacturing facility.     

Issues in reverse supply chains,part II: reverse distribution issues – an overview

In recent years, due to growing environmental concern, there has been an increasing attention to product take‐back, product recovery and the re‐distribution of end‐of‐life products. Reverse logistics (RL), which refers to the distribution activities involved in product returns, has recently received much attention because many companies are using it as a strategic tool to serve their customers; and can generate good revenue. The management of return flow usually requires a specialised infrastructure with special information systems for tracking and dedicated equipment for the processing of returns. An efficient reverse distribution structure may lead to a significant return on investment as well as a significantly increased competitiveness in the market. Therefore, the time seems to be right for a systematic overview of various issues that are arising in the context of reverse distribution. The main purpose of this paper is to review the literature on RL and suggest a classification based on reverse distribution issues. The result of this research provides a better understanding of the RL concept and outlines some future directions of research on modelling and analysis.     

Issues in reverse supply chains,part I: end‐of‐life product recovery and inventory management – an overview

Recovery of used products has become a field of rapidly growing importance in reverse supply chain management. Product recovery includes collection, inspection/separation, disassembly, reconditioning/reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. In real time situations, the collection of end‐of‐life (EoL) products from the customer and their return to the manufacturer is tedious and time consuming. Reduced product life cycles have increased the rate of product returns and disposals. Owing to shortened product economic life cycles, the recovery of value from EoL products is becoming a necessity. Companies have realised the value that they could recover by remanufacturing or recycling EoL products. Researchers have developed various models for product recovery network design, optimal inventory, production planning and control, remanufacturing, recycling, disposal, etc. The main purpose of this paper is to review the literature on EoL product recovery and inventory management issues in reverse supply chains and to outline some future directions for research on these issues.     

Developing a fuzzy linear programming model for locating recovery facility in a closed loop supply chain

In this research a closed loop supply chain is designed which incorporates reverse logistics and forward logistic system simultaneously. In the design of reverse logistic system, recovery options are embedded in traditional supply chain for treating returned products. The recovery system includes collection centres, remanufacturing plants and disposal centres. Since the product return is supply driven, there is an uncertainty about it. In the proposed configuration for closed loop supply chain, the optimised configuration for supply chain in terms of locating recovery plants is developed. Accordingly, a fuzzy mixed integer linear programming model develops to deal with the uncertainty of returning products by customers. A general-purpose solver (LINGO 8.0) and a Meta heuristic approach (genetics algorithm) are implemented to solve the proposed model. The answers are compared by defining indexes and then the optimal answer, configuration and variables are identified. This solution will suggest a new design of supply chain network in which waste of materials is minimised and the new raw materials are necessary only when the used products may not be recovered by recovery options.     

Eco-design practices towards sustainable supply chain management: interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach

Due to increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, many organisations have attempted to leverage their supply chain performance towards balancing triple bottom line dimensions (economic, environmental and social perspectives). This paper, therefore, determines the priorities of sustainable supply chain management focusing on eco-design. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matriced’ Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MIMAC) are used to identify the hierarchical structure of the relationships among eco-design dimensions, and to analyse characteristics power of each dimension on supporting eco-design practices. The relationships and characteristics power of each dimension are used to determine indicators that are effective in enhancement of eco-design practice, evaluated through sustainable supply chain performance. Results indicate that product deployment is an important approach for improving eco-design practice towards sustainable supply chain management. This emphasises the purpose and impact of eco-design on sequential supply chain activities at deployment phase. Further research is required to make an overall assessment of eco-design practices across range of manufacturing industries, given the current research is based on inputs from a limited number of experts of selected organisations.     

Climate change,multiple stressors and human vulnerability: a systematic review

We systematically reviewed current climate change literature in order to examine how multiple processes that affect human vulnerability have been studied. Of the 125 reviewed articles, 79 % were published after 2009. There are numerous concepts that point out to stressors other than climate change that were used in reviewed studies. These different concepts were used interchangeably, and they illustrate processes that act on different scales. Most widely used concepts included non-climatic (40 % of the articles), multiple stressors (38 %) and other factors (37 %). About 75 % of the studies either acknowledged or carefully analyzed the social and environmental context in which vulnerability is experienced. One-third of the studies recognized climate change-related stressors as the most important, one-third argued that stressors other than climate are more important, and the rest of the studies did not analyze the relative importance of the different processes. Interactions between different stressors were mentioned in 76 % and analyzed explicitly in 28 % of the articles. Our review shows that there are studies that analyze the social context of vulnerability within climate change-related literature and this literature is rapidly expanding. Reviewed studies point out that there are multiple interacting stressors, whose interlinkages need to be carefully analyzed and targeted by policies, which integrate adaptation to climate change and other stressors. In conclusion, we suggest that future studies should include analytical frameworks that reflect dissimilarities between different types of stressors, methodological triangulation to identify key stressors and analysis of interactions between multiple stressors across different scales.     

湖泊沉积物文献信息的网络分析:研究现状和热点

通过对湖泊沉积物研究领域的文献信息的网络分析,对了解目前该领域在全球的研究现状、研究热点及其未来的发展趋势具有重要的意义,也为我国长江下游湖泊群的科学研究和生态保护提供了科学参考。以Web of Science中1931~2016年的文献信息为数据源,以“lake sediment*”作为标题的字段进行信息检索,结合文献计量法,采用词频统计、聚类分析和网络分析方法,评估了湖泊沉积物研究领域的研究现状和发展趋势。结果表明：该领域共检索到相关文献9 126篇,且文献的发表数量随时间变化呈指数增长（R2=0.98,P<0.01）;美国发表文献数量最多,共有2 086篇,占总出版文献数的20.5%,中国发表文献的数量为2 086篇,仅次于美国,欧美等发达国家对研究文献量的贡献较大,发展中国家中,中国的贡献较大;研究文献涉及最多的三大学科分别为环境科学与生态、地质学和海洋与淡水生物学,属于这三大学科的文献分别有3 368（22.0%）、2 698（17.6%）、2 099（13.7%）篇;Journal of Paleolimnology、Hydrobiologia和Limnology and Oceanography为该研究领域文献发表较多的期刊,发表文献数量分别为412、366、237篇,分别占总文献数量的4.5%、4.0%、2.6%;从该领域的研究热点和发展趋势上来看,重金属和有机污染物的污染与风险、湖泊沉积物与古气候的研究、湖泊富营养化等研究成为湖泊沉积物研究的热点方向,它们作为关键词出现频率位于前10,未来模型和多元统计运用等方向作为新的关键词出现,且出现频次进入前50,说明这两个方向具有一定的研究价值和发展空间。     

环境保护视角下的食物里程研究

随着全球环境问题日趋严峻,可持续发展越来越重要,食品与环境如何相互影响,食品生产和消费过程中的碳减排问题,日益受到人们的广泛关注。"食物里程"通过考察食品从生产到餐桌的距离,量化食品生产、运输、消费过程的碳排放,考察食品对环境的影响,该指标得到政府、食品加工厂、贸易商、消费者、环保主义者和学者普遍关注。本文从食物里程的内涵着手,系统阐述食物里程概念的形成与发展,介绍食物里程的两种计算方法,包括投入产出-生命周期法和供应链中的能源使用等,食物里程涉及到碳排放的三个公认的评估标准:1PAS 2050,联合国气候变化框架公约清洁发展机制,ISO/CD 14067。在此基础上,本文从食物里程的价值角度、消费者角度及国际贸易角度对国内外相关研究进行系统的归纳与总结,提出未来的研究方向主要在于合理界定食物里程的内涵,科学利用食物里程改变生产和消费方式,从而改善环境,防止食物里程成为新的国际贸易壁垒。     

The use of green criteria in the public procurement of food products and catering services: a review of EU schemes

Green Public Procurement (GPP) is currently being used to influence the market to shift to a supply of goods and services to the public sector that have a reduced environmental impact. The food service sector plays a major role in the purchases made by the public sector and due to that relevance deserves attention. The GPP schemes reviewed were those that provide details of the specific environmental criteria used (or recommended) for public tendering of food products and catering services provision. The set of GPP schemes apply to distinct geographical zones within the EU, including national level (e.g. Italy), regional level (e.g. Barcelona) and also local level, as in the case of cities (e.g. Copenhagen) or schools (e.g. a school in Pisa, Italy). The criteria set covers services provision to schools, health and social care, higher education, government office canteens, sports and leisure arenas, prisons and defence services (e.g. army). European and worldwide GPP criteria were not covered by the review made. This exploratory study comprehends a total of 23 GPP schemes. This sample includes eight national schemes, three regional schemes and ten local schemes. The review focused on the scope, for the sector of applicability (e.g. education, healthcare) of the GPP set of criteria and for the type of food products covered. Moreover, this paper analyses the type of GPP criteria in use and how the environmental criteria cover the distinct life cycle stages of the whole food supply chain. Findings from the analysis show that for the majority of schemes the scope of criteria is simultaneously the provision of food products and catering services. Moreover, cities, municipalities and counties are the main public authorities reporting procurement activities for the education sector while national GPP activities are applicable for multiple sectors of activity. The main food products covered by the criteria are fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and seafood and meat. Finally, the findings show that the set of criteria from the schemes cover widely the life cycle stages of the food supply chain. The results allowed for a first identification of current practices in the use of GPP criteria within public purchasing of food products and catering services in Europe by national, regional or local governments.     

Effects of persistent organic pollutants on the developing respiratory and immune systems: A systematic review

BackgroundDisruption of developing immune and respiratory systems by early-life exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) could result into reduced capacity to fight infections and increased risk to develop allergic manifestations later in life.ObjectivesTo systematically review the epidemiologic literature on the adverse effects of early-life exposure to POPs on respiratory health, allergy and the immune system in infancy, childhood and adolescence.MethodsBased on published guidelines for systematic reviews, two independent researchers searched for published articles in MEDLINE and SCOPUS using defined keywords on POPs and respiratory health, immune function and allergy. Study eligibility criteria were defined to select the articles.ResultsThis review of 41 studies finds limited evidence for prenatal exposure to DDE, PCBs and dioxins and risk of respiratory infections. Evidence was limited also for postnatal exposure to PCBs, specifically ndl-PCBs, and reduced immune response after vaccination in childhood. The review indicates lack of association between postnatal exposure to PCBs/ndl-PCBs and risk of asthma-related symptoms. For the other exposure–outcome associations reviewed evidence was inadequate.Discussion and conclusionCurrent epidemiological evidence suggests that early-life exposure to POPs can adversely influence immune and respiratory systems development. Heterogeneity between studies in exposure and outcome assessment and the small number of studies for any given exposure–outcome relationship currently make comparisons difficult and meta-analyses impossible. Also, mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Recommendations for significantly improving our understanding thus include harmonization of exposure and outcome assessment between studies, conduct of larger studies, long-term assessment of respiratory infections and asthma symptoms in order to identify critical periods of susceptibility, integration of the potential immunotoxic mechanisms of POPs, and use of new statistical tools to detangle the role of multiple exposures on multiple outcomes.     

Reverse logistics network design: a conceptual framework for decision making

Reverse logistics play a significantly increased role in supply chains. Producers are incorporating reverse logistics into their supply chain design because of governmental legislation, economic benefits from product recovery, and customers' demands for better environmental practices. Motivated producers face two main challenges in reverse logistics network design: (1) how do you build product recovery activities into traditional forward logistics networks? and (2) how do you manage the impact of uncertainty in the reverse logistics supply chain? Moreover, producers need to consider many tradeoffs leading to efficient network design. Published case studies have discussed these tradeoffs, and we describe a framework to evaluate these tradeoff considerations. We then apply the framework to three new case studies: medical device refurbishing, municipal e‐waste recycling, and carpet fibre recycling.     

Association of persistent organic pollutants and non-persistent pesticides with diabetes and diabetes-related health outcomes in Asia: A systematic review

BackgroundOver half of the people with diabetes in the world live in Asia. Emerging scientific evidence suggests that diabetes is associated with environmental pollutants, exposures that are also abundant in Asia.ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature concerning the association of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and non-persistent pesticides with diabetes and diabetes-related health outcomes in Asia.MethodsPubMed and Embase were searched to identify studies published up to November 2014. A secondary reference review of all extracted articles and the National Toxicology Program Workshop on the association of POPs with diabetes was also conducted. A total of 19 articles met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated in this review.ResultsTo date, the evidence relating POPs and non-persistent pesticides with diabetes in Asian populations is equivocal. Positive associations were reported between serum concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several organochlorine pesticides (DDT, DDE, oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane) with diabetes. PCDD/Fs were also associated with blood glucose and insulin resistance, but not beta-cell function. There were substantial limitations of the literature including: most studies were cross-sectional, few studies addressed selection bias and confounding, and most effect estimates had exceptionally wide confidence intervals. Few studies evaluated the effects of organophosphates.ConclusionsWell-conducted research is urgently needed on these pervasive exposures to inform policies to mitigate the diabetes epidemic in Asia.     

再生资源供应链的结构、行为和绩效分析

再生资源是一种特殊的资源类型,兼具资源资产产权和环境产权,两者相互作用引导其开发利用自组织形成了正规与非正规回收利用者相互交织的完整逆向供应链系统。协调其中各主体间的利益关系、减少逆向供应链的环境污染和整体运行损耗是再生资源开发利用水平提升的关键手段。为此,本文以北京市废旧电视为例,利用实地调研的方法,系统分析了再生资源供应链的结构、行为和绩效(SCP)。结果表明:(1)消费者选择一级回收者时具有价值性、便捷性和规范性三种偏好。销售商回收模式可较好地满足消费者的需求,成为其首选方案,然而,"以旧换新"限制了无需购买新电视的人群。游商以45%的份额占据了剩余一级回收市场的主导地位。(2)一级与二级回收者间形成了稳定的合作关系,二手市场扩大了一级回收者的利润,中间商则为一级回收者提供了稳定的需求保障。(3)受到非正规拆解作坊的挤占,正规拆解企业产能严重过剩。一方面,降低了拆解企业对收购产品的质量要求,致使中间商偷换有价组件和跨境转移电子废弃物等问题日益严重。另一方面,正规拆解企业会提高收购价格,致使政府补贴的基金大部分转移至回收环节,巩固了现有的正规与非正规回收者共存的供应链结构。(4)个体中间商及非正规拆解利用作坊是再生资源供应链低效率的关键。本文调整了现有的家电基金制度,建议在电视销售环节向消费者征收40元/台的基金,并将其中的10元/台用于扶持政府可管控的正规主体中间商,代替个体中间商的功能,其余金额可用于弥补现有基金的亏空。该种模式可充分利用现有的一级回收者及二手市场,并可有效提升再生资源供应链的整体绩效水平。     

Simulation modelling for sustainability: a review of the literature

This article is a review of work published in various journals and conference proceedings on the topics of Simulation Modelling for Sustainability between January 2000 and May 2015. A total of 192 papers are reviewed. The article intends to serve three goals. First, it will be useful to researchers who wish to know what kinds of questions have been raised and how they have been addressed in the areas of simulation modelling for sustainability. Second, the article will be a useful resource for searching research topics. Third, it will serve as a comprehensive bibliography of the papers published during the period. The literature is analysed for application areas, simulation methods and dimensions of the triple bottom line model of sustainable development.     

Supplier evaluation and selection for sustainable supply chain management under uncertainty conditions

Abstract

With the global increasing importance of sustainable development, sustainable supply chain has gained value among both researchers and industrialists in the last decade. Nowadays, industries are facing pressure from government legislation and the global competition in addition to the pressure from their clients to carry out environmentally – conscious actions. Thus, organisations are required to implement actions to enhance their level of both environmental and economic performances. Traditionally, organisations use criteria such as cost, quality and on-time delivery to evaluate their suppliers’ performance. Although there have been numerous studies on the common criteria for these assessments, very few studies have taken sustainable criteria into consideration. Thereupon, this study tries to put forward a complete model for selection and evaluation of the suppliers, considering three criteria for sustainability, thus using the fuzzy group graph theory and matrix approach. It is an innovative approach based on fuzzy logic and group decision-making, which aims to treat lack of certainty in selection and evaluation of suppliers. We will also discuss a case study in the industry to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.     

A multi-objective closed-loop supply chain network design problem under parameter uncertainty: comparison of exact methods

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Forward and reverse supply chains are one of the most important issues in supply chain management. These kinds of supply chain networks include a...     

Reflections on the process of using systematic review techniques to evaluate the literature regarding the neurotoxicity of low level exposure to organophosphate pesticides

We undertook a systematic review (incorporating meta-analysis) of the literature concerning the neurotoxicity of cumulative low level occupational exposure to organophosphate pesticides, which was published online by the journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology in 2012. As far as we are aware, we were the first research team to attempt quantitative evaluation of study findings on this topic, using meta-analysis. We wish to encourage others to apply systematic review techniques in chemical risk assessment to reduce bias, increase transparency and better inform public policy. We thought it would be useful to share our experience of undertaking a systematic review in the hope of dispelling misconceptions about the complexity, time and resource issues involved along with the view that meta-analysis is meaningless when studies are not homogeneous. In this commentary paper we reflect on aspects of the process which were relatively straightforward; aspects which were more challenging; the advantages of using systematic review techniques; and the advantages and limitations of using statistical techniques such as meta-analysis in this context.     

An overview on corporate response towards sustainability issues in textile industry

Textiles constitute an important part of human beings everyday life. Environmentalists have been calling forth industries to incorporate sustainability principles into their production processes. In comparison with other industries, textile industry is considered to be major contributor towards environmental pollution and is subject to creating various ecological (water body pollution, waste generation, air pollution) issues throughout supply chain from fibre production till fabric finishing. This paper reviews the existing literature related to various sustainability issues surrounding the textile industry across the globe. The authors classify the literature to discuss the drivers, barriers, and responses of firms in the textile industry in favour of sustainability. Despite a growing body of research in this area, we identify significant gaps in the literature with special reference to managerial approaches being used for incorporating sustainability. While it is very important to understand the motivations that drive firms towards sustainability and barriers to implementation, attention is also drawn towards research aspects pertaining to managerial perception towards new technologies and processes. The article also provides future research opportunities in form of specific questions to strengthen existing literature in this field.