The effects of gscm practices on the performance of the Turkish iron and steel industry

Sustainability is a requirement to achieve complete development since it minimizes the negative impacts of activities that are beneficial to society. The Iron and Steel Industry (ISI) is one of the essential industries for the development of civilization. Processing iron and steel has served the development of humanity for centuries and has enabled humanity to create durable tools and build solid structures. ISI is a main material provider for different industries such as the household appliances industry, the automotive industry, the building sector, and the medical device industry. The importance of iron and steel for humanity is obvious and the sector serves humanity to become a more advanced civilization. On the other hand, iron and steel production requires the use of toxic raw materials and damaging production methods such as coke production, sintering, and pelletizing. Also, the industry requires high energy consumption. In this context, the Iron and Steel Industry is so important for the development of civilization but also it is harmful for the planet and threatens all living creatures when it doesn't have environmental consciousness. The iron and steel sector should apply GSCM to have full control over all environmental impacts of production processes. The study aims to examine the effects of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices on environmental performance (EP), operational performance (OP), and economic performance (ECP) of the Turkish Iron and Steel Industry (ISI). Findings indicate that every single GSCM practice has a different level of positive impact on environmental and operational performance. The findings also suggest that the direct impact of GSCM practices on economic performance is positive, but it is not significant enough to declare a direct impact on economic performance. Only green purchasing has a significant effect on economic performance.