Managing sustainable supply chains

In 1987, the Brundtland Report presented the definition of "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" . Sustainable development was defined before it became corporate social responsibility. Various pressures are driving companies to make their supply chains more sustainable. In recent decades, many companies have begun to adopt this concept. What's more, sustainability has become either a way of differentiating oneself, or an obligation to remain competitive, depending on the industrial sector. However, tools are still lacking for the complete and proven design of a sustainable supply chain.

The notion of sustainable development as applied to supply chain management implies integrating its three pillars (economic, environmental and social) into all activities to achieve a sustainable supply chain (SSC). These different concepts are defined, along with the legislative and normative frameworks within which they operate. The context of sustainable development has given rise to a number of challenges that companies need to address by implementing sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) or sustainable supply chain management (SSCM).

The environmental and social impacts of this implementation on each supply chain activity are described and modeled. To help companies in their SSD implementation process, this article indicates the sustainable levers linked to the supply chain. Based on these levers, best practices are outlined and illustrated by concrete examples for each activity. In addition, indicators are proposed to monitor the implementation of good sustainable practices in the supply chain, as well as their impact. Finally, various models for assessing sustainable performance are classified: maturity grid, global indicator. Their main characteristics are explained. These models are described in detail to facilitate selection.