Sustainability Strategies Addressing Supply-Chain Air Emissions. National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Report 28

摘要

Economic activity and growth are driven by trade. This trade is facilitated by highly complex, dynamic, time-sensitive, and integrated supply chain systems that move goods across the globe between producers, manufacturers, and consumers. To remain competitive, supply chains must offer rapid, reliable, and efficient service that meets the demands of the global marketplace. However, supply chains also affect the environment and local communities as a result of air emissions from freight transportation. These emissions can affect climate change and human health. Increased recognition of the environmental and human impacts of supply chain activities has led to public pressure for rapid action. In some cases, this has resulted in fragmented and multi-layered regulation aimed at reducing air emissions. The complexity of these regulations may make compliance challenging, impede supply chain innovation, and undermine the realization of air emissions benefits. The objective of this research is to identify potential strategies for accelerating environmental improvement, enhancing performance, and promoting social responsibility of supply chains. The research outputs are intended to improve the understanding of decisionmakers about the impact of environmental policies and regulations on the supply chain, focusing on the interrelationships between economic drivers and air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) policy and regulations.