Methodology for the Environmental Service Suppliers’ …
403
According to Srivastava (2007, p. 54) Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM)
can be defined as: “integrating environmental thinking into supply-chain management, including product design, material sourcing and selection, manufacturing processes, delivery of the final product to consumers, as well as product end-of-life
management after its useful life”.
Extending sustainability management to the value chain has to do with risks
managing. It is possible to enumerate several episodes in which bad conducts of
the suppliers have caused negative impact in the image and in the businesses of
big corporations, by incidents related to social or environmental aspects. Workers
subjected to conditions similar to slavery, accidents and fatal fires in industries and
clothing, incorrect disposition of toxic wastes, effluents and chemicals, as well as
cases of corruption, informality and unethical behavior, lack of preparation for new
legal or competitive requirements, lack of skilled labor, among other problems. Such
episodes can directly affect the costs, reputation, and operation of an organization.
In this way, a company can only be considered as sustainable, when its supply chain
shares the same principles and values regarding these subjects.
3 Environmental Goods and Services and Their
Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
Over the past few years, the expansion of environmental technologies market has led
to a consolidation in the area, both inside and outside Brazil. This sector has received
increasing attention from the productive sector, stimulating demand and generating
new opportunities, technologies and innovations (ABDI 2012). The terms internationally used to name such a segment are Environmental Goods and Services (EGSs)
or Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) (ABDI 2012; EUROSTAT
2009).
OECD member countries, together with Eurostat, presented the first definition
for EGSS (ABDI 2012; ITC 2014), which deems “activities that produce goods and
services that measure, prevent, limit, minimize or correct environmental damage to
water, air and soil, as well as problems related to litter, noise and ecosystems. This
includes cleaner technologies, products and services that reduce environmental risk
and minimize pollution and resource use” (OECD and EUROSTAT 1999, p. 9).
The System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) was
the first international statistical standard for environmental and economic accounting adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission. According to the United
Nations (2016, p. 78) the scope of environmental activities includes “economic activities whose primary purpose is to reduce or eliminate pressures on the environment or
to use natural resources more efficiently. Examples of such activities are the restoration of polluted environments, the conservation and management of resources and
the investment in technologies aiming at avoiding or reducing pollution”.
403
According to Srivastava (2007, p. 54) Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM)
can be defined as: “integrating environmental thinking into supply-chain management, including product design, material sourcing and selection, manufacturing processes, delivery of the final product to consumers, as well as product end-of-life
management after its useful life”.
Extending sustainability management to the value chain has to do with risks
managing. It is possible to enumerate several episodes in which bad conducts of
the suppliers have caused negative impact in the image and in the businesses of
big corporations, by incidents related to social or environmental aspects. Workers
subjected to conditions similar to slavery, accidents and fatal fires in industries and
clothing, incorrect disposition of toxic wastes, effluents and chemicals, as well as
cases of corruption, informality and unethical behavior, lack of preparation for new
legal or competitive requirements, lack of skilled labor, among other problems. Such
episodes can directly affect the costs, reputation, and operation of an organization.
In this way, a company can only be considered as sustainable, when its supply chain
shares the same principles and values regarding these subjects.
3 Environmental Goods and Services and Their
Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
Over the past few years, the expansion of environmental technologies market has led
to a consolidation in the area, both inside and outside Brazil. This sector has received
increasing attention from the productive sector, stimulating demand and generating
new opportunities, technologies and innovations (ABDI 2012). The terms internationally used to name such a segment are Environmental Goods and Services (EGSs)
or Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) (ABDI 2012; EUROSTAT
2009).
OECD member countries, together with Eurostat, presented the first definition
for EGSS (ABDI 2012; ITC 2014), which deems “activities that produce goods and
services that measure, prevent, limit, minimize or correct environmental damage to
water, air and soil, as well as problems related to litter, noise and ecosystems. This
includes cleaner technologies, products and services that reduce environmental risk
and minimize pollution and resource use” (OECD and EUROSTAT 1999, p. 9).
The System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) was
the first international statistical standard for environmental and economic accounting adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission. According to the United
Nations (2016, p. 78) the scope of environmental activities includes “economic activities whose primary purpose is to reduce or eliminate pressures on the environment or
to use natural resources more efficiently. Examples of such activities are the restoration of polluted environments, the conservation and management of resources and
the investment in technologies aiming at avoiding or reducing pollution”.