Implementing green supply chain management practices in organizations in Thailand: A review in search for key factors in GSCM implementation

Abstract

There is a growing importance in the research of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) as it aims at an environmental innovation and integration of environmental concerns into supply chain management. GSCM has gained popularity with both academic and practitioners. In this research, we aim to study the various findings of the research conducted in the manufacturing organizations of Thailand. The purpose of the paper is to briefly review the recent literatures of the GSCM research especially in developing countries such as Thailand in order to identify the key factors for adopting and implementation of GSCM practices in manufacturing industries and also to provide the importance and guidelines for future research direction in Thailand’s manufacturing organizations. Even though this paper has limitation, as it is based only on review of literatures available on various secondary sources, the implications of this paper are expected to be beneficial in academic and organizations. Result of performance evaluation from GSCM operations can be used to improve both economic and environmental performance of the organization. The results from the review have extracted three key factors of GSCM practices implementation as: 1) green manufacturing technology practice; 2) green logistics practice and 3) green sourcing strategy. Green manufacturing practice and the green logistics practice were strongly correlated with financial performance. Cost and complexity appeared to be the major obstacle to implementation of a successful GSCM.