Title: The hurdles analysis as an instrument for improving environmental value chain management

Authors: Edeltraud Gunther, Lilly Scheibe

Addresses: Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD), Department of Business Management and Economics, 01062 Dresden, Helmholtzstrabe, 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany. ' Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD), Department of Business Management and Economics, 01062 Dresden, Helmholtzstrabe, 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany.

Abstract: Regarding the target of greening the value chain, procurement can be considered an important factor. Hence, management of procurement processes towards more green procurement can be seen as a good possibility for improving the whole value chain from an environmental point of view. To support companies in their efforts of changing their procurement process towards being more green, factors that may hamper, decelerate or even block green procurement – so-called hurdles (barriers) – have to be identified and evaluated, and strategies to handle them developed. Therefore, the hurdles analysis method is presented. This method shall enable companies to identify, assess and handle hurdles to green procurement and in this way manage procurement processes more proactively in future. This article contributes to interorganisational environmental management, which is important for bridging industrial ecology research to business, management and organisational studies.

Keywords: environmental value chain; procurement process; green procurement; hurdles analysis; hurdles identification; hurdles management; decision making; organisational development; value chain management; environmental management; industrial ecology; value chain greening; barriers; environmental procurement; interorganisational environmental management.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2005.006780

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2005 Vol.2 No.1, pp.107 - 131

Published online: 14 Apr 2005 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article