A framework for performance measurement in food supply chain sustainability

One of the effect of globalization is the pressure that is being put on firms towards the enhancement of their supply chains, and especially within the framework of sustainability. Adding value for consumers through efficient sustainable supply chain (SSC) activities is currently a common route to competitive advantage. Thus, many manufacturers are concentrating their efforts on sustainable supply chain management. By the means of performance measurement, the companies can assess their sustainable supply chain efficiency. Literature review showed that there is need for a related performance measurement framework and metrics that integrates all the supply chain macro processes, namely supplier relationship management, internal supply chain management, and customer relationship management; the three dimensions of sustainability, namely economic, environmental and social (Triple Bottom Approach or TBL). And, this should be developed taking into consideration the corporative aspect of the industries. With the aforementioned taken into consideration, the aim of this research was to create and implement an integrated supply chain performance assessment system. This system would be built through supply chain macro processes that combine upstream actors (suppliers, supplier relationship management), the focal firms (internal supply chain management) and downstream actors (customers, customer relationship management) with businesses), as well as GRI Requirements, and finally against all three sustainability dimensions. This study's analysis methodology was divided into three phases. Firstly, concerns were found during the preliminary analysis of the literature at the beginning of the study. At the next stage, the study identified the performance measurement metrics based on the thorough analysis of the literature. The GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards), the first and most broadly accepted global standards for sustainability reporting, were reviewed and used as a tool against which the reviewed performance measurement metrics were shortlisted and adapted on the conceptual framework. Finally, in the third stage of the study, the suggested conceptual supply chain performance measurement framework was implemented to the firms that constitute the case studies from the Turkish Food Manufacturing sector. The necessary data was collected using mainly a qualitative methodology, with in-depth interviews acting as the primary data collection tool. As secondary evidence, this analysis used records and reports from the case study organizations, as well as other public documents. The findings provided new viewpoints and observations into the analysis of supply chain performance measurement in terms of sustainability in Turkey and in relation to performance measurement variables and framework. The study revealed the relative significance of each supply chain macro process and dimension of sustainability to the case studies firms and their related undertaken assessment and applied policies.