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Packaging, Containerization, and Materials Handling
Published in John M. Longshore, Angela L. Cheatham, Managing Logistics Systems, 2022
John M. Longshore, Angela L. Cheatham
The creation of packaging uses natural resources, and that has independent environmental impacts. It requires water and electricity to create the product. By-products of manufacturing can cause unfortunate side effects. The creation of plastics, for example, emits toxic carbon monoxide and other undesirable organic compounds. In fact, many manufacturers admit that the creation of packaging costs more than the creation of the item to be packaged. In 2019, it is estimated that approximately 9.3 million tons of packaging waste was generated in the United States alone. Such waste almost always ends up in landfills. Much of the waste found in landfills is packaging waste. Much of this packaging, including polystyrene and other plastics, does not break down quickly. In fact, some of the packaging making its way to landfills does not break down at all, creating long-term environmental problems.
Food Packaging
Published in Dennis R. Heldman, Daryl B. Lund, Cristina M. Sabliov, Handbook of Food Engineering, 2018
Selke (2009a) provides an overview of packaging environmental concerns, solid waste impacts, and sustainability. Marsh and Bugusu (2007) summarize data on the amount of packaging waste in municipal solid waste (MSW), by material and year. Packaging constitutes ~31% of municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling of packaging at ~40% leads all categories of MSW. Morawicki (2012) reports energy and water consumption, air, liquid and solid emissions, and approaches for reducing the environmental impact of packaging. Overall, food packaging contributes a relatively small percentage of materials, energy, and water consumed, and greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted in the food supply system (Coles, 2011). A study of GHG emissions from components of the food supply system concluded that packaging was one of the smallest contributors at approximately 5% of the total (Millstone and Lang, 2008). Nonetheless, the environmental impact of packaging is significant; and consumers, regulators, and businesses all desire to reduce it.
Benefits, Barriers, and Awareness about Constructability
Published in Sharmin Khan, Constructability, 2018
Sustainability and constructability principles for construction18. Sequence construction activities to reduce unnecessary design requirements and minimize contaminant sinks.19. Protect indoor air quality during construction to alleviate problems during construction and expedite building turnover.20. Salvage and donate unwanted materials.21. Reduce packaging waste.
Achieving carbon neutrality via supply chain management: position paper and editorial for IJPR special issue
Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2023
S. C. Lenny Koh, Fu (Jeff) Jia, Yu (Jack) Gong, Xiaoxue Zheng, Alexandre Dolgui
Supply chain engineering (Dolgui and Proth 2010) and Supply chain management (SCM) plays a critical role in reducing the carbon footprint of organisations. Supply chains are responsible for a significant proportion of GHG emissions, as it involves the transportation of goods and materials, the use of energy in manufacturing and distribution, and the disposal of waste (Ghosh et al. 2020; Zhang et al. 2022a). By implementing sustainable supply chain practices, organisations can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. For example, they can reduce packaging waste by using more environmentally friendly materials, optimise logistics to reduce transportation emissions, and source materials from low-carbon suppliers. They can also implement circular economy practices, such as reusing and recycling materials, to reduce waste and emissions. Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices not only help organisations reduce their carbon footprint, but also can lead to cost savings and increased efficiency. Moreover, achieving carbon neutrality can help organisations comply with regulations and standards related to environmental performance, which are becoming increasingly stringent (Higgins, Dibden, and Cocklin 2015; Touboulic, Matthews, and Marques 2018). By implementing SSCM practices, organisations can create a more resilient and sustainable business model that is better equipped to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Integrating sustainable supply chain practices with operational performance: an exploratory study of Chinese SMEs
Published in Production Planning & Control, 2019
Niraj Kumar, Andrew Brint, Erjing Shi, Arvind Upadhyay, Ximing Ruan
All seven case companies regarded cost as their main barrier for implementing GrSCM practices. Environmental friendly raw materials are expensive and therefore, many small companies cannot afford it. Even companies that have implemented green practices feel overt pressure due to an increase in the cost of raw materials. Not having appropriate policy and regulations is another barrier for SMEs. Most interviewees deemed that lack of relevant policies and regulations should be held responsible for disorderly competition and ineffective implementation of green practices in the industry. Lack of technical know-how, less integrated supply chain and unskilled human resources were equally responsible for creating further challenges for SMEs to improve environmental performance. Most executives expressed that it is unrealistic for them to hire professionals to implement GrSCM practices, due to the shear small size and limited resources. Not having adequate recycling infrastructure and underdeveloped reverse logistics channels further limits the implementation of green practices at the supply chain level. Improper alignment of green objectives among different players in the supply chain creates further challenges in order to search for optimal solutions for the environmental problems. Diabat and Govindan (2011) discussed that one of the most significant practices of green supply chain management in the packaging industry is to reduce packaging waste. However, executives of Company C shared that, “the lack of collaboration and coordination among supply chain partners negatively impacts the recycling of packaging wastes”.
A preliminary prototyping approach for emerging metro-based underground logistics systems: operation mechanism and facility layout
Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2021
Wanjie Hu, Jianjun Dong, Bon-gang Hwang, Rui Ren, Zhilong Chen
M-ULS network is designed to align metro stations and tunnels with conventional logistics measures to cooperate as a closed-loop system (Dong et al. 2018), in which goods with the aforementioned O-D types could be automatically transported, sorted, and assembled. Figure 2 depicts O-D flows and the communication between M-ULS facilities and conventional logistics facilities. It is noteworthy that two particular inward flows are also applicable to the given O-D taxonomy, namely (i) packaging waste recycling and (ii) allocation, re-allocation and recycling of auxiliary transport equipment (e.g. containers and pallets). Hierarchies and functions of M-ULS node facilities are generalised as follows.