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How to Achieve Supply Chain Sustainability Efficiently? Taming the Triple Bottom Line Split Business Cycle

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  • Matthias Klumpp

    (Institute for Logistics and Service Management (ILD), FOM University of Applied Sciences, 45141 Essen, Germany
    Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS), European University Institute, 50014 Florence, Italy
    Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), 44227 Dortmund, Germany)

Abstract

For sustainable supply chains, specific concepts regarding how to efficiently improve sustainability are needed in a global comprehensive triple bottom line (TBL) approach, especially for forwarders as central actors in supply chain design. Such specific advice is provided by reporting empirical DEA Malmquist index findings from seven large European forwarders regarding a TBL sustainability analysis from 2006 to 2016. A major obstacle in improving sustainability consists in the newly discovered fact that with the business cycle, the three TBL areas of economic, ecologic and social objectives for logistics are undergoing different up- and down-ward trends, making it very hard to improve all three simultaneously. Additional factors are identified in the characteristics of size and government influence regarding the sustainability efficiency of forwarders. This has important impacts on supply chain design like e.g., with selection criteria.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Klumpp, 2018. "How to Achieve Supply Chain Sustainability Efficiently? Taming the Triple Bottom Line Split Business Cycle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:2:p:397-:d:130100
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