Measuring Sustainability Performance in Supply Chains

加拿大公司越来越意识到与其活动的经济、环境和社会影响相关的机遇和挑战。越来越多的公司已经制定了可持续发展政策，计划和方案来应对这些问题。许多公司在改善其内部业务的可持续性绩效方面取得了进展。然而，人们逐渐认识到，企业可持续性问题超越了任何一个组织的界限。 ** 提高整体可持续性绩效需要考虑公司的供应链。然而，许多企业一直在努力开发、实施和改进衡量系统，以提供有关其供应链可持续性绩效的可靠综合信息。这项研究计划旨在解决这些问题。这项研究的长期目标是为衡量供应链中的企业可持续性绩效奠定方法基础。四个相互关联的短期目标支持长期目标：（1）制定一个评估供应链可持续性背景的框架，（2）制定一个选择可持续供应链合作伙伴的框架，（3）制定一个衡量正向供应链可持续性绩效的框架，（4）制定一个衡量逆向供应链可持续性绩效的框架。** 每个框架都将通过一个结构化的过程创建：（1）框架制定，（2）专家咨询，（3）框架完善，以及（4）通过案例研究进行验证。目标1将侧重于制定一个框架，以确定与公司供应链相关的可持续性优先事项、影响、脆弱性、利益相关者和监管要求。目标2将侧重于制定一个由若干相互关联的组成部分组成的框架，包括确定关键供应链伙伴的标准、伙伴可持续性快速评估工具以及将评估结果与现有业务基础设施相结合的准则。目标3将为设计、实施和更新前向供应链的可持续性指标和指数提供一个可定制的流程。这将需要制定指标选择标准和标准化、加权和汇总办法，以制定一个综合指数。将制定一套标准化指标，包括指导指标编制的详细协议，为衡量举措提供参考点。目标4将侧重于调整目标1、2和3的产出，以衡量逆向供应链的业绩。这将包括开发评估报废产品管理备选方案的工具。学生将参与整个研究计划。**这项研究将解决学术文献中的几个关键空白。特别是，需要进一步强调可持续性的社会方面，将在制定评估可持续性背景、选择供应链合作伙伴和衡量正向和反向供应链可持续性业绩的框架时加以解决。在现有文献中，可持续发展绩效的社会层面一直代表不足。研究成果将为加拿大公司提供一种系统的方法来衡量其供应链的可持续性表现。这将有助于在企业可持续性方面作出更知情的决策。

Canadian corporations are becoming increasingly aware of the opportunities and challenges associated with the economic, environmental, and social impacts of their activities. A growing number of corporations have established sustainability policies, plans, and programs to respond to these issues. Many corporations have made progress in improving the sustainability performance of their internal operations. However, there is an emerging understanding that corporate sustainability issues extend beyond the boundaries of any one organization. **Improving overall sustainability performance requires the consideration of a corporation's supply chain. However, many corporations have struggled to develop, implement, and improve measurement systems that deliver reliable, synthesized information on the sustainability performance of their supply chain. This research program is intended to address those issues. The long-term objective of this research is to develop methodological foundations for measuring corporate sustainability performance in supply chains. Four interrelated short-term objectives support the long-term objective: (1) develop a framework to assess the sustainability context of a supply chain, (2) develop a framework for selecting sustainable supply chain partners, (3) develop a framework for measuring sustainability performance in forward supply chains, and (4) develop a framework for measuring sustainability performance in reverse supply chains. **Each framework will be created through a structured process of (1) framework development, (2) expert consultation, (3) framework refinement, and (4) validation through case studies. Objective 1 will focus on the development of a framework to address the identification of sustainability priorities, impacts, vulnerabilities, stakeholders, and regulatory requirements relevant to a corporation's supply chain. Objective 2 will focus on the development of a framework consisting of several interrelated components, including criteria for identifying critical supply chain partners, a rapid partner sustainability assessment tool, and guidelines for integrating the assessment results with existing business infrastructure. Objective 3 will provide a customizable process for designing, implementing, and updating sustainability indicators and indices for forward supply chains. This will entail developing indicator selection criteria and schemes for normalization, weighting, and aggregation to develop a composite index. A suite of standardized indicators, including detailed protocols guiding their preparation, will be developed to provide a reference point for measurement initiatives. Objective 4 will focus on adapting the outputs of Objectives 1, 2, and 3 for measuring performance in reverse supply chains. This will include the development of tools to assess options in end-of-life product management. Students will be involved throughout the entire research program.**The research will address several key gaps in the academic literature. In particular, the need to further emphasize the social aspects of sustainability will be addressed in the development of the frameworks for assessing sustainability context, selecting supply chain partners, and measuring sustainability performance in forward and reverse supply chains. The social dimension of sustainability performance is consistently underrepresented in the existing literature. The research outputs will provide Canadian corporations with a systematic way to measure sustainability performance in their supply chains. This will support more informed decision-making related to corporate sustainability.