Green Supply Chain and Sustainability

Successful completion of all courses of the Supply Chain Management module.

• Basics and background of an "ecological footprint
• Requirements for ecological sustainability
• Ecological and physical limitations
• Basics of (Green) Supply Chain Management and Green Logistics
• Historical outline of sustainability concepts
• Components of a sustainable value creation strategy
• Best practice examples for sustainable SCM
• Environmental management in companies and organisations, environmental reporting and labels / certifications
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), "Green Electricity", transport issues of a Green SCM
• National emissions initiatives, reduction targets at EU and global level
• Overview of EU strategies for greenhouse gas reduction, status of implementation of EU initiatives in national Austrian law

Governments, NGOs and the private sector worldwide are combating the causes and consequences of global warming and the associated climate change. For companies, this means a cost factor and a differentiating feature at the same time. An ecologically sustainable - in this sense "green" - value creation strategy is a de facto obligation for companies even without legal requirements. Not only the students of the Supply Chain Management focus can experience and discuss in depth the ecological aspects of the value chain in this course.

The students can critically deal with the terms "green" and sustainability in logistics and the supply chain. They know the current state of definition and the developments in the framework conditions, laws and fundamental considerations. The context of measures and results in SC is presented and discussed. Concepts such as life cycle assessments, ecological rucksack and MIPS are reviewed and different methods of calculating emissions are compared. The students are able to define and classify the topics and terms of green logistics and sustainability. Basic and current strategies and concepts for the promotion of sustainability in the supply chain are made known.

The students understand environmental policy framework conditions and necessities such as climate and energy targets, transport and traffic from a national, EU and global perspective and can present and discuss these in their effect on the supply chain. The influence of sustainability on the supply chain and the measures to be derived in the supply chain as well as the logistical influencing factors can be established. Calculation models, input/output factors and life cycle assessments are known and can be discussed.

Calculations of emissions (from products and in the supply chain) can be carried out and their results critically assessed. Possible scenarios and cases can be analysed and consequences presented. Current developments, issues, future scenarios and measures can be analysed and discussed in terms of their impact from a logistical, economic and ecological perspective.

Interactive course with lecture, case studies, exercises in individual and group work, presentations and homework.

Pre-assignment, participation during the seminar in the form of contributions and short presentations (individual or group assignments), post-assignment, individual weighting as determined by the instructors, announcement at the beginning of the semester

None

Bretzke, Wolf-Rüdiger (2014): Nachhaltige Logistik. Zukunftsfähige Netzwerk- und Prozessmodelle. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.

McKinnon, Alan C.; Browne, Michael; Whiteing, Anthony E. (2012): Green logistics: improving the environmental sustainability of logistics. London: Kogan Page.

Classes with compulsory attendance