A. P. Barbosa Póvoa
Sustainable Supply Chains (SSC) are complex network systems of entities that manage products from suppliers to customers and associated returns while considering simultaneously social, environmental and economic objectives. The management of such systems has recently gained a significant importance as companies face the task of incorporating sustainable concerns in their activities caused by growing society awareness towards environmental and societal problems. But being per se supply chains complex systems the enlargement of their common goal, profit, towards sustainability goals results in very challenging and difficult problems. To solve such problems there is a need of using decision tools to support decisions makers and in these Operational Research (OR) methods are fundamental. In this talk we explore the use of OR methods, more precisely optimization, to address the design, planning and operation of sustainable supply chains where a solution of compromise between economic, environmental and social objectives is trailed. Perspectives in the area are discussed and important challenges identified, which may drive research in sustainable supply chains when OR methods are to be explored.
Keywords: Supply chain, operations research
Scheduled
P-IO Plenary Lecture in Operations Research
September 4, 2019 9:00 AM
Main hall. CADA building