Strazzullo, Serena (2021) Exploring New Trajectories for Sustainable Supply Chain: Towards an Integrated Framework. [Tesi di dottorato]

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The growing emphasis on the evolution and diffusion of sustainability and related enabling practices has invested the entire global economic panorama. This because companies are under pressure to comply with internal policy guidelines and specifications, as well as the evolving needs of individual customers (Wellbrock et al., 2020). In parallel, in recent years, we are witnessing the transition of industries towards the Smart Factories model through the gradual introduction of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies into processes. The I4.0 model, however, cannot ignore the issue of all-around sustainability considering aspects that are not only economic but above all environmental and social. This sustainability-I4.0 dichotomy in some cases must be intersected with some models already present within the Supply Chain (SC) structure such as the lean approach. To be competitive in this context, SCs must combine management paradigms to reach a high level of performance. The Lean Supply Chain Management (LSCM) refers to the elimination of non-value-added activities to enhance firms’ performance (Womack et al., 1990). According to this model, waste reduction is implemented through managerial strategies that affect all members of the SC from suppliers to consumers (Yang et al., 2011). Recent interest in environmental issues has led companies to change their operational approaches to comply with new environmental regulations and to respond to the growing demands of customers for sustainable products and services (Kaswan and Rathi 2020). Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is an important organizational model to achieve corporate profit and increase market share, based on the reduction of risks and environmental impacts while improving the overall sustainable efficiency of SCs. Previous studies have shown how these two paradigms (LSCM and SSCM) are aligned and intersect each other (Alves & Alves, 2015; Azevedo et al., 2017; Martínez et al., 2017). Carvalho et al. (2010) have asserted that the two paradigms have the common objective of maximizing customer satisfaction by reducing waste along with the SC. More recent studies, on the other hand, have deepened the link between the lean paradigm and I4.0 (Buer et al., 2018; Ejsmont & Gładysz, 2020; Sanders et al., 2017). The integration of these two concepts has led to new definitions such as: "Lean 4.0" and "Digital Lean Manufacturing". Given the increasing complexity of operations, lean practices are not enough to address competitive pressure. The integrated paradigms aim at more flexible, fast, customized, interconnected, and transparent management of production and distribution systems. As part of the link between I4.0 and sustainability, some studies evaluate the different possibilities of digital technologies in improving green practices (Ghobakhloo,2020; Stock and Seliger, 2016). This thesis aims to close the circle and find the connection points between the three paradigms of I4.0, SSCM, and LSCM.

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