Sustainable Supply Chain Management

The main objective of this chapter is to present and discuss the Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) concept by analysing the state of the art in research and practice and considering its future trends and developments. Managers need to develop a careful understanding of sustainability issues along their supply chains, both at strategic and operational levels. Leveraging on established frameworks developed in the SSCM discipline, a comprehensive overview of the key supply chain processes and the variety of actors involved in sustainability initiatives is provided in order to discuss the complex challenge faced by companies in translating corporate sustainability strategies into specific actions at the supply chain level, and in turn, influence performance from an economic, environmental and social perspective. This chapter adopts a specific focus on governance, highlighting the need for collaborative approaches to develop more responsible supply chains. An in-depth example of Barilla—a leading company in implementing sustainability projects at the supply chain level—is presented to discuss these concepts.