Developing sustainable food supply chains

This paper reviews the opportunities available for food businesses to encourage consumers to eat healthier and more nutritious diets, to invest in more sustainable manufacturing and distribution systems and to develop procurement systems based on more sustainable forms of agriculture. The important factors in developing more sustainable supply chains are identified as the type of supply chain involved and the individual business attitude to extending responsibility for product quality into social and environmental performance within their own supply chains. Interpersonal trust and working to standards are both important to build more sustainable local and many conserved food supply chains, but inadequate to transform mainstream agriculture and raw material supplies to the manufactured and commodity food markets. Cooperation among food manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, governmental and farmers' organizations is vital in order to raise standards for some supply chains and to enable farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices.     

Analyzing, Mapping, and Managing Environmental Impacts along Supply Chains

This article reports on research toward a pragmatic and credible means for analyzing, mapping, and managing environmental impacts along supply chains. The results of this research include a management tool called "ecological supply chain analysis" (EcoSCAn) that is presented here for the first time. Its structure bears a passing resemblance to that used in some streamlined life-cycle assessments, but its operation and purpose are quite different. The EcoSCAn tool frames a comparative environmental analysis of products capable of performing broadly equivalent functions. The analysis occurs over complete extended supply chains and within defined supply chain stages at a product level and, to some extent, at a site level. The results are mapped with data confidence indicators. A range of tactical and, where data quality is sufficient, strategic supply chain actions are prompted. Actions to mitigate environmental stress are possible in the absence of good quality data across entire product life cycles, although the extent to which management actions are limited is made plain.     

Performance optimization of supply chain based on cooperative contract with disappointment-aversion strategic consumers

Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal - Consumers’ strategic behavior and psychological perception have impact on supply chains. In this paper, we consider a supply chain with one...     

Regulation of fibrinogen assembly. Transfection of Hep G2 cells with B beta cDNA specifically enhances synthesis of the three component chains of fibrinogen

Previous studies indicated that synthesis of B beta chain may be a rate-limiting factor in the production of human fibrinogen since Hep G2 cells contain surplus pools of A alpha and gamma but not of B beta chains, and fibrinogen assembly commences by the addition of preformed A alpha and gamma chains to nascent B beta chains attached to polysomes. To test whether B beta chain synthesis is rate limiting Hep G2 cells were transfected with B beta cDNA, and its effect on fibrinogen synthesis and secretion was measured. Two sets of stable B beta cDNA-transfected Hep G2 cells were prepared, and both cell lines synthesized 3-fold more B beta chains than control cells. The B beta-transfected cells also synthesized and secreted increased amounts of fibrinogen. Transfection with B beta cDNA not only increased the synthesis of B beta chain but also increased the rate of synthesis of the other two component chains of fibrinogen and maintained surplus intracellular pools of A alpha and gamma chains. Transfection with B beta cDNA did not affect the synthesis of albumin, transferrin, or anti-chymotrypsin and had a small inhibitory effect on the synthesis of C-reactive protein. Taken together these studies demonstrate that increased B beta chain synthesis specifically causes increased production of the other two component chains of fibrinogen and that unequal and surplus amounts of A alpha and gamma chains are maintained intracellularly.     

Same Supply Chain,Different Models: Integrating Perspectives from Life Cycle Assessment and Supply Chain Management

Within industrial ecology, there is a substantial community focusing on life cycle assessment (LCA) and corresponding tools and methods. Within the field of supply chain management, an increasing community is converging around sustainable supply chains. These two communities study the same underlying systems, but bring different perspectives to bear. We review seven issues that arise at this intersection of LCA and supply chain management, with the aim of illustrating how both communities can enrich each other by closer interaction. We conclude with some suggestions for how the two communities can further collaborate.     

Sustainable development of global supply chains—part 1: sustainability optimization framework

In global industry supply chains, environmental sustainability optimization addresses the overall consumption of resources and energy, the reduction of carbon emissions and generated waste to name a few. In this paper, we propose a holistic sustainability optimization framework for strategic network design of industry supply chains under consideration of economic, social as well as ecologic objectives. The framework is flexible to incorporate multiple sustainability indicators, alternative sustainability optimization strategies as well as a variety of internal and external industry-specific factors which impact the sustainability of the entire industry supply chain in the long-term. The core of the framework is an end-to-end closed-loop value chain model consisting of process, transport and product-in-use modules. For the first time, the product-in-use impact (“use” vs. “make”) is integrated in one network design approach. In addition, the model fully closes the loop from sourcing of raw materials via manufacturing towards reverse value chain steps such as disposal and recycling. Finally, we propose the minimize-time-to-sustainability approach as new optimization strategy for long-term network design problems focusing on minimizing the time, industry supply chain structures need to transform into sustainability steady states for all defined sustainability indicators such as CO₂e emissions, costs or social indicators based on defined target values. In part 2 of this paper the application of the optimization framework to the European automotive industry is shown.     

A value chain approach to improve biomass policy formation

Biomass value chains for energy, fuels and bio‐based products involve complex, cross sector interactions between their upstream and downstream stages. Overarching policymaking to date has included the use of biomass to deliver sector specific aims (e.g. climate change, energy, etc.) however, this is mostly planned without adjusting support across the most challenging stages of biomass value chains and exploiting specific advantages related to their geographic settings (e.g. domestic feedstocks, local markets, etc.). Policies to date have, therefore, resulted in fragmented, suboptimal biomass use and debates for sustainability and resource efficiency. This opinion paper arose from the project Strategic Initiative for Resource Efficient Biomass Policies Funded by the EU Commission. It discusses the development of a dedicated Biomass Policy Framework which applies the principles of value chain analysis in policy design to enable the market uptake of sustainable, domestic, resource efficient biomass solutions. Firstly, it explains how to provide context by identifying value chains which can offer competitive advantages for biomass mobilization, market infrastructures, rural and economic development within their geographic setting. Then the work builds on the context and prioritized value chains and further rationalizes policy needs and aims within individual value chain stages. This is done by identifying policy‐related challenges and gaps that constrain sustainable and resource efficient deployment of the selected value chains. Also, it suggests policy interventions that will overcome challenges, resolve gaps and as a result mobilize local biomass and improve market uptake. Finally, it discusses the contrasting paradigms for biomass policy formation within single sector target setting and the value chain approach of the Biomass Policy Framework and uses the case of low carbon biomass heat to illustrate the strengths of the suggested approach. The paper concludes with remarks for the concept of biomass value chain analysis in policy.     

Life Cycle Assessment of Advanced Industrial Wastewater Treatment Within an Urban Environment

A dissolved air flotation (DAF) system upgrade was proposed for an urban paper mill to recycle effluent. To understand the influence of operating variables on the environmental impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water consumption, a dynamic supply chain model was linked with life cycle assessment (LCA) to produce an environmental inventory. Water is a critical natural resource, and understanding the environmental impacts of recycling water is paramount in continued development of sustainable supply chains involving water. The methodology used in this study bridged the gap between detailed process models and static LCA modeling so that operating variables beyond discrete scenario analysis could be investigated without creating unnecessarily complex models. The model performed well in evaluating environmental impacts. It was found that there was no single optimum operating regime for all environmental impacts. For a mill discharging 80 cubic meters of effluent per hour (m³/hour), GHGs could be minimized with a DAF capacity of 17.5 m³/hour, while water consumption could be minimized with a DAF capacity of 25 m³/hour, which allowed insight into where environmental trade‐offs would occur. The study shows that more complexity can be achieved in supply chain modeling without requiring a full technical model. It also illustrates the need to consider multiple environmental impacts and highlights the trade‐off of GHG emissions with water consumption in water recycling. The supply chain model used in this water treatment case study was able to identify the environmental trade‐offs from the operating variables selected.     

Managing perishability in production-distribution planning: a discussion and review

Managing perishability may represent a remarkable problem in supply chain management of a varied set of industries. In fact, perishability can influence, for example, productivity or customer service and it may happen to occur in one or more processes throughout the supply chain. In this paper a review on planning models that handle perishability issues in production and distribution is conducted. The contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, a new framework for classifying perishability models based on multiple process features is presented. Second, it draws the community attention to the importance of managing perishability in many different industries’ supply chains by showing its relevance and by reviewing the literature related to production and distribution planning. Finally, it points towards research opportunities so far not addressed by the research community in this challenging field.     

Sustainable Global Agrifood Supply Chains: Exploring the Barriers

The article investigates the factors that make businesses postpone integrating the performance dimension of sustainability in global agrifood supply chains. Based on literature‐based conceptual reasoning, the article conceptualizes a double company lens distinguishing between substantial supply chain management and mere public relations endeavors as a major obstacle for businesses pursuing comprehensive supply chain performance in global agrifood chains. We point out that many supply chain performance attributes represent, in fact, credence attributes that cannot be verified by the consumer, hence entailing an information asymmetry between the company and its consumers. Rational business responses to this situation tend to focus on symbolic actions and communication efforts by means of sustainability reports and other brand‐enhancing marketing tools that may be decoupled from substantial operations and supply chain improvements. The research propositions developed have partly been corroborated by a content analysis of annual and sustainability reports of four major agrifood companies (Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Mondelez International). The conceptual arguments and empirical analysis presented in the article may serve as the basis for managers and academics to develop innovative inter‐ and intraorganizational business processes that reconcile trade‐offs between various agrifood supply chain performance dimensions, thus pushing the performance frontier outward, and that provide the necessary transparency for overcoming the currently adverse setting of incentives inherent in the food production, processing, retailing, and consumption system.     

Effect of parity on productivity and sustainability of Lotka–Volterra food chains

Hairston, Slobodkin, and Smith conjectured that top down forces act on food chains, which opposed the previously accepted theory that bottom up forces exclusively dictate the dynamics of populations. We model food chains using the Lotka–Volterra predation model and derive sustainability constants which determine which species will persist or go extinct. Further, we show that the productivity of a sustainable food chain with even trophic levels is predator regulated, or top down, while a sustainable food chain with odd trophic levels is resource limited, which is bottom up, which is consistent with current ecological theory.     

The degradation of nascent fibrinogen chains is mediated by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway.

Recent studies have shown that ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis by proteasomes plays an essential role in the degradation of ER-retained proteins. We investigated the degradation of individual fibrinogen chains in transfected COS cells which express but do not secrete single chains. In transfected COS cells, the degradation of fibrinogen Bbeta and gamma chain was markedly inhibited by the proteasome inhibitors lactacystin and MG132. These specific proteasome inhibitors also partially affected the degradation of Aalpha chain. In HepG2 cells, which synthesize and secrete fibrinogen, the degradation of intracellular free gamma chain was also inhibited by MG132. We also detected high molecular weight polyubiquitinated forms of fibrinogen chains in transfected COS cells and in HepG2 cells by sequential immunoprecipitation. These results implicate proteasomes in the degradation of fibrinogen chains. In COS cells, gamma chains have a longer half-life than Bbeta chains and Aalpha chains, suggesting that the presence of surplus gamma chains in fibrinogen-producing cells is due to the unequal degradation rate of fibrinogen chains. These results indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway may be a major system for the degradation of unassembled fibrinogen chains.     

Application of fuzzy VIKOR for evaluation of green supply chain management practices

Environmentally sustainable activities have received an increasing interest among the firms to improve their practices in the supply chain. Although environmental regulations force firms consider these issues, but, green issues are new, evolving every day, and requires a continuous study in the field to gain a complete understanding of the problems. In this study, we illustrate the case of a laptop manufacturer in Malaysia that pursues to evaluate green supply chain management (GSCM) indicators among its practitioners. This paper develops a quantitative evaluation model to measure the uncertainty of GSCM activities and applies an approach based on Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method which is an extension of intuitionistic fuzzy environment aiming to solve the green multi-criteria decision making (GMCDM) problem. The triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) were used to handle imprecise numerical quantities. Then, a hierarchical multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model was proposed based on fuzzy sets theory and VIKOR method to deal with the problem. The results show the alternative ranks of the four evaluated companies which was based on their performance in GSCM initiatives. The results also indicated that the main criteria of the research ranked as follows respectively: eco-design, green production, green purchasing, green recycling, green transportation and green warehousing. Finally, a comparative analysis of results by fuzzy VIKOR is presented. Additionally the scope for future studies is provided at the end of the paper.     

综合生命周期分析在可持续消费研究中的应用

1992年联合国提出可持续消费的概念,经过10几年的发展,生命周期分析已经成为可持续消费的主要研究方法。由于传统生命周期分析方法需要大量基础数据支持,因此目前综合生命周期分析方法被广泛应用于可持续消费研究中。以1997年中国投入产出表为基础,建立了包括CO2排放量的投入产出表延长表。并对居民终端消费产生的CO2排放总量及其与产业部门的关系进行了分析。结果表明,1997年城市居民终端消费人均CO2排放量为1576．62kg,是农村居民CO2排放量的24．96倍,城市居民每个单位货币消费量所产生的CO2的排放量也远远高于农村居民,电力生产部门对居民消费环境影响的贡献率最大。对该方法中存在的一些问题进行了讨论,这些问题主要产生在价值量与物理量转换过程及分配过程中。     

Intelligent management of supply chain logistics based on 5g LoT

With the rapid development of science and technology and the integration of the global economy, competition in the global market has become increasingly fierce, and competition between enterprises has gradually become competition between supply chains. The application of Internet technology to the agricultural industry chain has a wide potential for development, and the LoT and the big data have become an important pillar of the development of smart agriculture. The implementation of Internet technology improves the degree of visibility and transparency of the agricultural supply chain, reduces supply chain uncertainty and improves the smart management of the supply chain. Research, development and implementation of technology 5g LoT brings new development opportunities for traditional supply chain management. In order to understand changes in the production and life of people under the 5g Internet environment of things, this document uses case analysis and bibliographic analysis methods for the collection of documents from the CNKI, Wanfang database, SSCI and other databases and analyses different fields of life using GIS spatial analysis technology. The results of the survey show that, in the case of the use of the 5g LoT, the supply chain may provide more information on the development of an intelligent supply chain, the smart level of chain efficiency has significantly improved, and the percentage is approximately 25%. This article takes as an example the supply of cars, with the help of the LoT system, the accuracy of delivery and the speed of logistics transport have improved significantly. In the smart model, the coefficient can reach 0813, which shows that smart management of the supply chain fewer than 5g LoT can play a major role.

     

Supply chain focus dependent safety stock placement

Increasing globalization, growing product range diversity, and rising consumer awareness are making markets highly competitive, forcing supply chains to adapt constantly to different stimuli. Growing competition between supply chains (as well as players within them) is also warranting a priority for overall supply chain performance over the goals of individual players. It is now well established in the literature that, among the many order winners, both overall supply chain cost and responsiveness (i.e., supply chain lead time) are the most significant determinants of supply chain competitiveness. The literature, however, mostly focuses on supply chain cost minimization with rather simplistic treatment of responsiveness. By introducing the concept of a coefficient of inverse responsiveness (CIR), we facilitate efficient introduction of responsiveness related costs into the scheme of supply chain (SC) performance evaluation and/or optimization. Thus, our model aids supply chain managers in achieving better strategic fit between individual business unit strategies and overall supply chain requirements in terms of cost efficiency and responsiveness. In particular, it aids in strategic placement of safety stocks at different stages in the supply chain. Our model also offers managerial insights that help improve our intuitions into supply chain dynamics. The model is more suited for strategic SC alignment, for example, when dealing with product changeovers or introduction of new product, rather than for operational control.     

Assembly and secretion of fibrinogen. Degradation of individual chains.

Hep G2 cells produce surplus A alpha and gamma fibrinogen chains. These excess chains, which are not secreted, exist primarily as free gamma chains and as an A alpha-gamma complex. We have determined the intracellular location and the degradative fate of these polypeptides by treatment with endoglycosidase-H and by inhibiting lysosomal enzyme activity, using NH4Cl, chloroquine, and leupeptin. Free gamma chain and the gamma component of A alpha-gamma are both cleaved by endoglycosidase-H, indicating that the gamma chains accumulate in a pre-Golgi compartment. Lysosomal enzyme inhibitors did not affect the disappearance of free gamma chains but inhibited A alpha-gamma by 50%, suggesting that A alpha-gamma is degraded in lysosomes. The degradative fate of individual chains was determined in transfected COS cells which express but do not secrete single chains. Leupeptin did not affect B beta chain degradation, had very little affect on gamma chain, but markedly inhibited A alpha chain degradation. Antibody to immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein (GRP 78) co-immunoprecipitated B beta but not A alpha or gamma chains. Preferential binding of heavy chain-binding protein to B beta was also noted in Hep G2 cells and in chicken hepatocytes. Taken together these studies indicate that B beta and gamma chains are degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum, but only B beta is bound to BiP. By contrast A alpha chains and the A alpha-gamma complex undergo lysosomal degradation.     

The CDR1 of the human lambdaVI light chains adopts a new canonical structure

We performed a comparative analysis of the conformation of the CDR1 of the human lambdaVI variable domains JTO and WIL and the equivalent loop of the lambdaI light chains RHE and KOL, which are representative of the type I canonical structure for lambda light chains. On the basis of the differences found in the main chain conformation, as well as the identity of the residues at key positions, we showed that the L1 of some lambdaVI light chains adopts a conformation that represents a new type of canonical structure. The conformation of the L1 of those lambdaVI light chains, is primarily determined by the presence of an Arg residue at position 25. The analysis of the lambdaVI light chain sequences so far reported, showed that near 25% of those proteins have Gly at position 25 instead of Arg, which represents an allotypic variant of the lambdaVI variable locus. The presence of Gly at position 25 in the L1 of lambdaVI light chains would imply a different conformation for this loop. Additionally, the position 68 in lambdaVI light chains, which is at the top of the FR3 loop, showed such spatial orientation and variability that suggested its participation in the conformation of the antigen recognition surface in this subgroup of lambda chains.     

Investigating fairness in global supply chains: applying an extension of the living wage to the Western European clothing supply chain

Purpose

This paper explores the issue of fairness in global supply chains. Taking the Western European clothing supply chain as a case study, we demonstrate how applying a normative indicator in Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) can contribute academic and practical insights into debates on fairness. To do so, we develop a new indicator that addresses some of the limitations of the living wage for SLCA.

Methods

We extend the standard form of living wage available for developing countries to include income tax and social security contributions. We call this extension ‘living labour compensation’. Using publically available data, we estimate net living wages, gross living wages, and living labour compensation rates for Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) in 2005. We then integrate living labour compensation rates into an input-output framework, which we use to compare living labour compensation and actual labour compensation in the BRIC countries in the Western European clothing supply chain in 2005.

Results and discussion

We find that in 2005, actual labour compensation in the Western European clothing supply chain was around half of the living labour compensation level, with the greatest difference being in the Agricultural sector. Therefore, we argue that BRIC pay in the Western European clothing supply chain was unfair. Furthermore, our living labour compensation estimates for BRIC in 2005 are ~ 35% higher than standard living wage estimates. Indeed, adding income taxes and employee social security contributions alone increases the living wage by ~ 10%. Consequently, we argue there is a risk that investigations based on living wages are not using a representative measure of fairness from the employee’s perspective and are substantially underestimating the cost of living wages from an employer’s perspective. Finally, we discuss implications for retailers and living wage advocacy groups.

Conclusions

Living labour compensation extends the living wage, maintaining its strengths and addressing key weaknesses. It can be estimated for multiple countries from publically available data and can be applied in an input-output framework. Therefore, it is able to provide a normative assessment of fairness in complex global supply chains. Applying it to the Western European clothing supply chain, we were able to show that pay for workers in Brazil, Russia, India, and China is unfair, and draw substantive conclusions for practice.

     

The studies of ecological environmental quality assessment in Anhui Province based on ecological footprint

Under the dual pressures of the socio-economic development and the increase in population density, the ecological environmental quality issues in Anhui Province have become increasingly prominent, which seriously handicap the sustainable development of regional economy, and it is more important to evaluate ecological environmental quality. By using the data of ecological environment, society, economy and population in Anhui Province, this paper measures ecological footprint, ecological environmental carrying capacity and ecological deficit and surplus in Anhui Province based on ecological footprint. The results show that ecological environmental quality in Anhui Province is not in the best state of the coordinated development, and the relationship between the supply and the demand of per ecological footprint almost is not in balance.