Exam 17: Sustainability and the Supply Chain

Most supply chain design innovations that lower transportation costs paradoxically tend to increase fuel consumption and emissions.

Almost 40 percent of ________ could be achieved at negative marginal costs, meaning that investing in these options would generate positive economic returns over their life cycle.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions was most cost effectively achieved by

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body that has been assessing global warming since 1990, has written that even though most of the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has come from the United States and Western Europe, it is poorer countries that are closer to the equator that are likely to pay the biggest price.

In the context of greenhouse gas emission, the GHG protocol initiative defines levels of scope. This level refers to the inclusion of other indirect emissions coming from sources such as the production of purchased materials, outsourced activities, contractor owned vehicles, waste disposal, and employee business travel.

A cap and trade system can achieve price stability as long as

A(n) ________ measure of performance is more effective at capturing sustainability improvement.

An example of a relative measure of emission output is pounds of CO₂ per gallon of diesel fuel.

Discuss the factors driving an increased focus on sustainability.

Customers have usually backed up words about the importance of sustainability with a willingness to pay more for sustainable products.

According to its 2011 CSR report, ________ has designed and opened a viable store prototype that is up to 25 to 30 percent more energy efficient and produces up to 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 2005 baseline.

A firm's new sustainability improvement initiative is best begun by focusing on resource reduction activities.

The social pillar measures a firm's ability to address issues that are important for its workforce, customers, and society.

An energy exporting country stands to gain

There is greater environmental impact in the extended supply chain than there is within the main plant for most manufacturers.

In the textbook, a detailed analysis by Abbott indicated that their indirect emissions were about ________ times their direct emissions.

The primary reason for the general lack of design for remanufacturing is that remanufacturing is more expensive for a manufacturer.

Metrics that would typically be in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports would contain

These two companies have also set aggressive targets for their suppliers to improve overall supply chain sustainability.

What type of inventory is one of the most damaging from a sustainability perspective?