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Benchmarking In Supply Chain

Sustainable supply chains: An introduction
Jonathan D. Lintona, , , Robert Klassenb, and Vaidyanathan Jayaramanc,
aPaul Desmarais Professor in the Management of Technological Enterprises, School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont. K1N 6N5, Canada
bIvey School of Management, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada
cDepartment of Management, School of Business, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

Available online 17 January 2007.
Abstract
Consideration is given to the convergence of supply chains and sustainability. In doing so, the focus on environmental management and operations is moved from local optimization of environmental factors to consideration of the entire supply chain during the production, consumption, customer service and post-disposal disposition of products. This is a critical and timely topic that captures increasing concerns over sustainability, whether driven by current legislation, public interest, or competitive opportunity. As such, sustainable development is a rich area for academic research that is still in its infancy and has the potential to affect future government policy, current production operations, and identify new business models. This paper provides a background to better understand current trends in this multidisciplinary field that intersect with operations management, and the research opportunities and challenges it presents.

Keywords: Supply chain; Sustainability; By-products

Article Outline
1. Introduction
2. Sustainability—an overview
3. The interaction between sustainability and supply chains
3.1. Product design
3.2. Manufacturing by-products
3.3. By-products produced during product use
3.4. Product life extension
3.5. Product end-of-life
3.6. Recovery processes at end-of-life
4. Linking sustainability and supply chains—the big picture
References

1. Introduction
The interaction between sustainability and supply chains is the critical next step...