Global supply chains feature multi-tier systems encompassing many geographically dispersed and sequential partners operating across diversified product chains. This research attempts to examine the different mechanisms that reinforce the management of sustainability throughout complex multi-tier supply chain. Using a multi-case study of a sample of eight firms and relying on the foundations of complexity theory, this research recognises the complex operating environment of global multi-tier supply chains and reveals various mechanisms to effectively manage and facilitate the relationships with first- and lower-tier suppliers. Although institutional controls are important to manage the sustainability of first-tier suppliers, the findings posit that due to the inherent complexities of global multi-tier supply chains, duplicating institutional controls to lower-tier suppliers might not be effective. Therefore, firms should attempt to foster modest mechanisms that reinforce adaptation and self-organisation, for example, collaboration and guiding mechanisms, to effectively manage the sustainability of lower-tier suppliers. The research contributes to multi-tier sustainable supply chain management literature by exploring the different mechanisms to manage multi-tier supply chains and the inherent complexities that may impact on firms’ endeavours in achieving their sustainability goals. Managers can utilise different contingent mechanisms to effectively manage the relationships with suppliers that are beyond their immediate visibility.

A busca por uma solução comum para os impactos ambientais decorrentes da geração e acúmulo de resíduos sólidos e a condição de exclusão socioeconômica que atinge a uma significativa fatia da população em grandes centros urbanos leva a replicação de um modelo de gestão de resíduos sólidos que tem seu ponto de interseção nas cooperativas de trabalhadores da reciclagem. Alinhado a um contexto de demandas sociais de manutenção econômica, justiça social e preservação ambiental, a gestão compartilhada de resíduos é vista não como prática assistencialista corporativa, mas como oportunidade de negócio e ganhos bilaterais de criação de valor compartilhado. Este é o tema de interesse do presente trabalho, a inclusão socioeconômica veiculada ao aproveitamento de resíduos sólidos. Para isso, desenvolve-se uma pesquisa de base empírica, fundamentada na metodologia de pesquisa-ação, com objetivo de analisar tecnicamente e gerencialmente um projeto que propõe a inclusão socioeconômica por meio do processamento da casca de coco verde. A partir da integração de uma base conceitual e informações de natureza prática obtidas no desenvolvimento do projeto acima referido, assume-se o ganho de conhecimento empírico que possa contribuir com a temática envolvendo a gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos e a inclusão socioeconômica. A experiência mostrou que disponibilizar tecnologia e ensinar a operar os equipamentos não é suficiente para a sustentação do modelo de gestão compartilhada. É preciso oferecer suporte técnico e gerencial e entender as cooperativas de reciclagem como parte de um fluxo continuo de materiais, de informação, de dinheiro e de pessoas. Conclui-se que é preciso fomentar o desenvolvimento humano através da difusão de conhecimento, levando-o até a cooperativa, mas também permitindo que esse se difunda por ela. / The waste management model could be a solution for two problems: the environmental impacts caused by the generation and accumulation of solid wastes, and socio-economical exclusion. Therefore in a context of social and economic development and environmental preservation, waste shared management is seen not creation of as a corporative assistentialist practice, but as a business opportunity and a win-win creation of shared value. This dissertation concerns the socio-economic inclusion developed coupled with the use of the solids wastes. So an empirical research was based on action-research methodology. The socio-economic inclusion by processing green coconut fiber was analyzed at a technical and managerial point of view. By integrating of a conceptual base and practical information obtained from to project development, empirical knowledge is gained. Contribute with urban solid waste management and socio-economical inclusion. The experience has shown that supply technology and teaching to operate the equipment is not sufficient to support the shared management model. It takes technical and managerial support and understand the recycling cooperatives as part of a continuous flow of materials, information, money and people. We conclude that it is necessary to foster human development through the dissemination of knowledge, leading him to the cooperative, but also allowing that to diffuse through it.

Bakgrund och problematisering Under 90-talet flyttade många företag sin produktion till lågkostnadsländer långt bort för att minska sina produktionskostnader och därmed öka konkurrensfördelarna. Nu menar forskare att denna trend börjat vända, och företag väljer att flytta tillbaka sin produktion till hemlandet eller i ett närliggande lågkostnadsland då det visat sig att totalkostnaden inte blev lägre. En produktion i eller nära hemlandet kan resultera i minskad totalkostnad, minskade risker och ett ökat värde för kunden. Valet av produktionsland kan också starkt influeras av företagets hållbarhetsarbete. Majoriteten av forskningen är fokuserad kring jämförandet av Sverige med ett lågkostnadsland i Asien men väldigt lite forskning finns som jämför Sverige med ett lågkostnadsland i Europa. Syfte och metod Syftet för studien är att jämföra strategierna inshoring och nearshoring genom att undersöka svenska hållbara mikroföretags val av produktionsland. För att jämföra strategierna kommer vi undersöka dessa utifrån faktorerna kostnad, risk och värde. Det empiriska materialet samlas in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med företag som har sin produktion i antingen Sverige eller Portugal. Resultatet kommer sedan att analyseras och kopplas till den teoretiska referensramen kring Supply Chain Management, hållbarhet och de tre faktorerna ovan för att kunna besvara syftet. Resultat och slutsats Efter att den empiriska datan analyserats kom vi fram till att företagen till en hög grad delade forskarnas syn på att en produktion i Sverige på många sätt var mer kostnads effektiv, mindre riskfylld och ökade värdet för konsumenterna då varumärket och produkterna sågs mer hållbara. Däremot märkte vi också att design spelade en stor roll in på vilket produktionsland man väljer, något som litteraturen inte tagit upp. Vi konstaterade att det inte finns en sourcingstrategi som ansågs vara bäst, utan företagets storlek, framtidsplaner, produktdesign och materialanvändning istället påverkar vilket produktionsland som är mest lämpligt. / Background and problematisation During the 1990’s many companies moved their production to remote low cost countries to reduce their production costs and create an increased competitive advantage. Research has now shown that this trend is reversing and companies are now starting to move their production to their home country or a close by low cost country due to the revelation that the total cost did not increase. Placing the production in or near the home country can result in a lower total cost, reduced risks and an increase of value to the consumer. The production location choice can also strongly be influenced by the companies’ sustainability work. The majority of research is focused around the comparison of Sweden and a low cost country in Asia but very little research has been done comparing Sweden and Europe. Purpose and method The purpose of the study is to compare the strategies inshoring and nearshoring by investigating Swedish sustainable micro companies’ choice of production location. To compare the strategies we will evaluate these through the factors cost, risk and value. The empirical material will be collected through semi-structured interviews with companies producing in either Sweden or Portugal. The result will then be analysed and connected to the theoretical framework around Supply Chain Management, sustainability and the three factors above to answer our research questions. Result and conclusion After the empirical data had been analysed we saw that the companies more or less shared there searchers’ views on that a production in Sweden in many ways was more cost effective, less prone to risks and increased the value to the consumers due to the brand being perceived as more sustainable. Also the design of the product played a big part in the choice of production location, something the literature did not bring up. Our conclusion was that none of the sourcing strategies were considered the best, but the size of the company, product design and the choice of material affected which production country that was deemed the most suitable. This thesis is written in Swedish.

A busca por uma solução comum para os impactos ambientais decorrentes da geração e acúmulo de resíduos sólidos e a condição de exclusão socioeconômica que atinge a uma significativa fatia da população em grandes centros urbanos leva a replicação de um modelo de gestão de resíduos sólidos que tem seu ponto de interseção nas cooperativas de trabalhadores da reciclagem. Alinhado a um contexto de demandas sociais de manutenção econômica, justiça social e preservação ambiental, a gestão compartilhada de resíduos é vista não como prática assistencialista corporativa, mas como oportunidade de negócio e ganhos bilaterais de criação de valor compartilhado. Este é o tema de interesse do presente trabalho, a inclusão socioeconômica veiculada ao aproveitamento de resíduos sólidos. Para isso, desenvolve-se uma pesquisa de base empírica, fundamentada na metodologia de pesquisa-ação, com objetivo de analisar tecnicamente e gerencialmente um projeto que propõe a inclusão socioeconômica por meio do processamento da casca de coco verde. A partir da integração de uma base conceitual e informações de natureza prática obtidas no desenvolvimento do projeto acima referido, assume-se o ganho de conhecimento empírico que possa contribuir com a temática envolvendo a gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos e a inclusão socioeconômica. A experiência mostrou que disponibilizar tecnologia e ensinar a operar os equipamentos não é suficiente para a sustentação do modelo de gestão compartilhada. É preciso oferecer suporte técnico e gerencial e entender as cooperativas de reciclagem como parte de um fluxo continuo de materiais, de informação, de dinheiro e de pessoas. Conclui-se que é preciso fomentar o desenvolvimento humano através da difusão de conhecimento, levando-o até a cooperativa, mas também permitindo que esse se difunda por ela. / The waste management model could be a solution for two problems: the environmental impacts caused by the generation and accumulation of solid wastes, and socio-economical exclusion. Therefore in a context of social and economic development and environmental preservation, waste shared management is seen not creation of as a corporative assistentialist practice, but as a business opportunity and a win-win creation of shared value. This dissertation concerns the socio-economic inclusion developed coupled with the use of the solids wastes. So an empirical research was based on action-research methodology. The socio-economic inclusion by processing green coconut fiber was analyzed at a technical and managerial point of view. By integrating of a conceptual base and practical information obtained from to project development, empirical knowledge is gained. Contribute with urban solid waste management and socio-economical inclusion. The experience has shown that supply technology and teaching to operate the equipment is not sufficient to support the shared management model. It takes technical and managerial support and understand the recycling cooperatives as part of a continuous flow of materials, information, money and people. We conclude that it is necessary to foster human development through the dissemination of knowledge, leading him to the cooperative, but also allowing that to diffuse through it.

Maintaining the current course of the global society is threatening the human civilization. The urgency of the situation, understood from empirical research, has caused many researchers to call for more prescriptive research as a necessary supplement, to better support decision making for sustainability. While policymakers need to direct and stimulate sustainable production and consumption through, e.g., legislation and market phenomena such as eco-labelling, business represents a significant proportion of the necessary resources, capabilities and mechanisms for the innovation needed for a transition towards sustainability. However, while businesses more and more realize the self-interest in working proactively with sustainability, there is a desire for better support for how to do this also from this end. Such support needs to consider a significant shift going on in business; that individual businesses tend to no longer compete as autonomous entities, but rather as supply chains. Thus, no company is more sustainable than its supply chain partners. Therefore, sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) as a business function, and sustainable procurement as a subset thereof, plays an increasingly pivotal role for sustainable development. The overall aim of this thesis is to contribute to sustainable development by studying how three phenomena; eco-labelling, procurement and supply chain management are related to each other and to a strategic sustainability perspective, and to suggest how these phenomena can be integrated with such a perspective to provide better support for decision making and innovation for sustainability. For this purpose, a framework for strategic sustainable development, including a definition of sustainability and generic guidelines to inform stepwise strategic plans towards sustainability, is used as a foundational methodology. The development of new approaches is also based on case studies with eco-labelling and sustainable public procurement bodies, businesses and public institutions. Information is collected by shadowing of criteria development and collaboration processes, interviews and literature studies. While the findings point to a clear rational for all of the phenomena and several strengths in existing schemes and practices, the findings also point to several shortcomings. Sustainability is not defined, and as a result, there is no foundation for strategic and proactive approaches. Furthermore, decisions are not based on considerations of all dimensions of sustainability, the whole life cycle of products, all relevant stakeholders and a long-term perspective. As a result, the full potential of these phenomena for contributing to sustainable development is not utilized. This thesis prescribes enhanced processes for eco-labelling, sustainable procurement and SSCM, and shows how these can support organisations in developing from reacting individually on known sustainability-related problems to acting proactively and collaboratively in supply chains, in a coordinated and economically viable way, on society’s remaining gap to the full scope of ecological and social sustainability.

Considerando-se a importância crescente e a complementaridade das temáticas de eco-inovação e de Gestão Sustentável da Cadeia de Suprimentos (GSCS), bem como a relevância do setor de alimentos no Brasil, este trabalho apresenta o objetivo de analisar como a eco-inovação contribui para a GSCS no setor de alimentos. Realizou-se um estudo de caso múltiplo em duas Cadeias de Suprimento Sustentáveis (CSSs) que possuem práticas eco-inovadoras: uma cadeia cuja empresa focal é eco-inovadora desde seu início (cadeia Alfa, born green); e outra cuja empresa focal está mudando seu posicionamento em prol da eco-inovação (cadeia Beta). A coleta de dados contou com materiais secundários, 20 entrevistas semiestruturadas e visitas in loco. Os resultados indicam que a eco-inovação é incorporada na estratégia da maioria das empresas. As principais práticas referem-se a produtos e processos eco-inovadores, sendo motivadas tanto por drivers internos (preocupações ambientais por parte dos gestores e busca por eficiência) quanto externos (pressões normativas e cooperação). Existe um alinhamento parcial das cadeias em favor da sustentabilidade, sendo que os relacionamentos mais próximos ocorrem entre o elo produtor e as indústrias. Foram encontradas relações com membros não tradicionais, como o terceiro setor e o governo. As principais barreiras à eco-inovação referem-se a questões técnicas, financeiras e concorrenciais. Questões relacionadas aos consumidores são vistas tanto como barreira (pelo desconhecimento e falta de atitude de compra) quanto como oportunidade (pelas tendências de sustentabilidade e alimentação saudável). Outra oportunidade refere-se à diferenciação frente a concorrentes e posicionamento da empresa. Os resultados indicam o elo produtor como o mais frágil da cadeia, pela necessidade de seguir rigorosamente a legislação, sem obter muitos incentivos governamentais que amparem perdas ou o remunerem pelos serviços ambientais prestados. O trabalho contribui ao expor a perspectiva de um país em desenvolvimento, salientando a importância da eco-inovação para uma GSCS mais competitiva, principalmente no caso de cadeias born green. A partir do investimento inicial da empresa focal em eco-inovação, esta busca ou desenvolve outros elos alinhados a estas práticas. Os dados encontrados apontam para a importância crescente do setor de alimentos eco-inovadores, que é uma ótima opção para empresas agregarem valor à sua imagem e seus produtos. / Considering the increasing importance and complementarity of the issues of eco-innovation and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), as well as the relevance of the food industry in Brazil, the goal of this work is to analyze how eco-innovation contributes to the SSCM in the food sector. A multiple case study was conducted in two Sustainable Supply Chains (SSCs) that have eco-innovative practices: chain Alpha, which focal company is eco-innovative since its beginning; and chain Beta, which focal company is changing its position in favor of eco-innovation. Data collection included secondary data, 20 semi-structured interviews and on-site visits. The results indicate that eco-innovation is incorporated into the strategy of most companies. The main practices refer to products and eco-innovative processes, which are motivated by internal drivers (environmental concerns by managers and search for efficiency) and external drivers (regulatory cooperation and pressures). There is a partial alignment of the chains in favor of sustainability, and the closest relationships occur between producers and industries. Relations with non-traditional members (third sector and government) were also found. The main barriers to eco-innovation are technical, financial and competitive. Consumers-related issues are seen both as a barrier (for their lack of knowledge and purchasing attitude) and as an opportunity (because of sustainability and healthy eating trends). Another opportunity is the differentiation against competitors and the positioning of the company. The results indicate that the producer is the weakest link of the chain, as it must follow strict rules, but does not have government incentives that support losses or remunerate his environmental services. The work contributes by exposing the perspective of a developing country, stressing the importance of eco-innovation for a more competitive GSCS, especially in the case of born green chains. When the focal company invests in eco-innovation, it searches or develops other links according to these practices. The findings indicate the growing importance of eco-innovation in the food sector, which is a great option to add value to the company’s image and products.

A introdução efetiva da sustentabilidade em empresas exige ações que extrapolam os limites organizacionais, abarcando o ambiente interorganizacional. Dessa maneira, as empresas deixam de ser consideradas isoladamente e passam a ser analisadas de acordo com suas cadeias de suprimentos, compostas por organizações que contribuem para o alcance dos mesmos objetivos de desempenho. Nesse sentido, uma cadeia de suprimentos é considerada mais sustentável quando insere as dimensões econômica, ambiental e social em suas operações, nas estratégias e na tomada de decisão, possuindo bons níveis de desempenho em tais dimensões. A adoção de práticas de sustentabilidade em cadeias de suprimentos pode ser analisada em um contínuo, formado por dois extremos: a resposta reativa e proativa. Nesse contexto, a proatividade de práticas sustentáveis pode ser definida como a adoção de ações, realizadas voluntariamente por empresas, com a finalidade de melhorar o desempenho ambiental e o desempenho social, além das exigências legais. A empresa proativa afirma sua preocupação e seu compromisso com a sociedade e o ambiente natural, em que está inserida. Diante dessas considerações, tem-se a premissa dessa pesquisa: a postura proativa de empresas em relação a práticas sustentáveis estimula melhor articulação com os elos de sua cadeia de suprimentos, o que colabora para a introdução da sustentabilidade nessa cadeia. O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar a contribuição da articulação de uma empresa proativa com seus elos para a introdução da sustentabilidade na sua cadeia de suprimentos. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, distribuída em duas etapas (exploratória e descritiva), envolvendo uma empresa focal proativa e parceiros de sua cadeia de suprimentos. Ressalta-se que, em virtude da complexidade e da extensão de cadeias de suprimentos, optou-se por analisar a cadeia à montante, isto é, foram entrevistados colaboradores da empresa focal (Mercur S.A.) e de empresas fornecedoras (LKC Transportes; PAMF Indústria e Comércio de Confecções; Caeté Embalagens; e, Artecola Química). Primeiramente, foi analisada a proatividade de práticas sustentáveis da Mercur. Os resultados indicam que a Mercur pode ser considerada uma empresa proativa, em função da implantação total de 37 ações em prol da sustentabilidade ao core business da organização e da implantação parcial de seis práticas. Em segundo lugar, investigou-se a articulação e o relacionamento da empresa proativa com os elos de sua cadeia de suprimentos. Verificou-se que os entrevistados consideram que os elos estão em processo de integração. Diante disso, pode-se observar que existem diferentes níveis de articulação na cadeia de suprimentos, envolvendo a Mercur e seus fornecedores. Em seguida, averiguou-se a existência de práticas sustentáveis ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos estudada, as quais foram descritas a partir de cinco categorias de análise (orientação estratégica, continuidade da cadeia de suprimentos, colaboração, gestão de risco, proatividade). Incentivos foram identificados para que práticas pró-sustentabilidade passem a ser concebidas e implantadas por todos os membros da cadeia, colaborando para um desenvolvimento mais sustentável. Nessa perspectiva, diante dos resultados encontrados, assume-se que a premissa de pesquisa foi confirmada, uma vez que a postura proativa de práticas sustentáveis da Mercur estimula maior articulação com os parceiros de sua cadeia de suprimentos, contribuindo para a inserção da sustentabilidade nessa cadeia. Entretanto, a articulação da Mercur com os parceiros também pode incentivar que posturas proativas em benefício da sustentabilidade sejam incorporadas pelas empresas da cadeia de suprimentos. / The effective introduction of sustainability in business requires actions that go beyond organizational boundaries, encompassing the inter-organizational environment. Thus, companies are no longer considered individually; they are analyzed according to their supply chains, composed by organizations that contribute to the achievement of the same performance goals. A supply chain is considered more sustainable when it enters the economic, environmental and social dimensions in their operations, strategies and decision making, possessing good levels of performance on these dimensions. The incorporation of sustainability practices in supply chain can be analyzed in a continuous, formed by two extremes: reactive and proactive response. The sustainable proactivity can be defined as the adoption of actions, performed voluntarily by companies, in order to improve the environmental and social performance beyond legal requirements. A proactive company states its concern and commitment to society and the natural environment in which it operates. Given these considerations, this research premise is: the proactive approach of companies towards sustainable practices encourages better integration with the partners in their supply chain, which contributes to the incorporation of sustainability in the supply chain. In this context, this research aims to analyze the contribution of proactive company integration with its partners to the introduction of sustainability in their supply chain. Therefore, a qualitative research was performed, composed by two phases (exploratory and descriptive), involving a proactive focal company and its supply chain partners. It is emphasized that, because of the complexity and the extent of supply chains, we chose to analyze the upstream chain, i.e., focal company (Mercur S.A.) and supplier firms (LKC Transportes; PAMF Indústria e Comércio de Confecções; Caeté Embalagens; and Artecola Química). The employees of these companies were interviewed. First, it was analyzed the proactivity of sustainable practices of Mercur. The results indicate that Mercur can be considered a proactive company, due to the full adoption of 37 actions for sustainability in the core business of the organization and the partial implementation of six practices. Secondly, it was investigated the integration and the relationship of a proactive company with its supply chain partners. It was found that the interviewees consider that the supply chain is in process of a complete integration. Thus, it can be observed that there are different levels of integration in the supply chain, involving the Mercur and their suppliers. Thirdly, it was examined the existence of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. These practices were described considering five categories of analysis (strategic orientation, supply chain continuity, collaboration, risk management, and proactivity). Incentives were identified for the design and the implementation of sustainable practices by all supply chain members, contributing to a more sustainable development. From this perspective, given the results, it is assumed that the research premise was confirmed, since the proactive sustainable practices Mercur encourages greater integration with partners in the supply chain, contributing to the sustainable supply chain. However, the integration of Mercur with partners can also encourage that proactive practices in favor of sustainability be incorporated in the supply chain.

Sustainability concerns are increasingly shaping customers' behavior as well as companies' strategy. In this context, optimizing the supply chain with sustainability considerations is becoming a critical issue. However, work with quantitative models is still scarce. Our research contributes by revisiting classical inventory models taking sustainability concerns into account. We believe that reducing all aspects of sustainable development to a single objective is not desirable. We thus reformulate single and multi-echelon economic order quantity models as multi-objective problems. These models are then used to study several options such as buyer-supplier coordination or green technology investment. We also consider that firms are becoming increasingly proactive with respect to sustainability. We thus propose to apply multiple criteria decision aid techniques instead of considering sustainability as a constraint. In this sense, the firm may provide preference information about economic, environmental and social tradeoffs and quickly identify a satisfactory solution.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has increasingly been considered important by both industry and academia, organizations around the world seek to extend or disseminate their sustainable practices to their multi-tier supply chains in order to make the whole chain sustainable. Among the main streams of SSCM research, it is surprising that, with a few exceptions, the leadership role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in their supply chains in an emerging economy has been ignored by researchers. Little is known on how MNCs, assuming leadership in their supply chain, have been able to facilitate their supply chain members to learn sustainability practice in an emerging economy context i.e. the mechanisms. To address this gap in the literature, a multiple-case study is designed. Multi-tier supply chains of three MNCs were selected to investigate their proactive sustainability projects in China. They are: Tetra Pak creating a recycling chain in China; Nestlé modernising China’s dairy industry; and IKEA’s sustainable cotton initiative. By adopting Resource Orchestration Theory (ROT), findings related to supply chain leadership, supply chain learning, multi-tier SSCM are presented. A number of testable propositions are advanced. The main findings of the research are that rather than focusing on the ‘low hanging fruits’ of sustainability, MNCs implement proactive sustainable initiatives requiring a strategic thinking and long term significant investment by engaging their multi-tier suppliers and non-traditional supply chain members. They tend to play a leadership role in the implementation process enabled by transformational and transactional leadership styles. These MNCs applied different leadership styles and governance mechanisms on different tiers of suppliers, which render different supply chain structures in the process of supply chain learning, which includes three stages of set up, operating and sustaining. This research contributes to SSCM research in the following ways: first, it may be the first attempt that investigates multi-tier SSCM through supply chain learning and supply chain leadership angles adopting a ROT perspective. This help to explain how MNCs implement sustainable initiatives in China; second, it contributes to supply chain learning literature by differentiating supply chain learning stages and learning content in terms of focal company knowledge resources and supplier learning complexity to explain the implementation of SSCM initiatives; third, leadership at an individual level is well researched and understood but it is not the case for organisational level leadership. This research enriches our understanding of the role of organisational leadership in MNCs’ SSCM; fourth, the research contributes to multi-tier SSCM with a focus on both supply chain governance mechanisms and supply chain structure; fifth, this research extend ROT from within an organization context to supply chains and include three aspects: breadth (resource orchestration across the scope of the supply chain including both internal and external breadth); depth (resource orchestration across multi-tiers of the supply chain); and project lifecycle (resource orchestration at various stages of supply chain learning stages); finally, a complete theoretical framework is developed to tie together the constructs of supply chain learning, supply chain leadership, multi-tier SSCM with ROT. Practically, a step by step methodology, integrating the key factors affecting the implementation of SSCM initiatives including supply chain learning, supply chain leadership, multi-tier supply chain governance and supply chain structure, is proposed. The ‘best practices’ of the researched MNCs provide a feasible roadmap for these organizations to learn from.

Considerando-se a importância crescente e a complementaridade das temáticas de eco-inovação e de Gestão Sustentável da Cadeia de Suprimentos (GSCS), bem como a relevância do setor de alimentos no Brasil, este trabalho apresenta o objetivo de analisar como a eco-inovação contribui para a GSCS no setor de alimentos. Realizou-se um estudo de caso múltiplo em duas Cadeias de Suprimento Sustentáveis (CSSs) que possuem práticas eco-inovadoras: uma cadeia cuja empresa focal é eco-inovadora desde seu início (cadeia Alfa, born green); e outra cuja empresa focal está mudando seu posicionamento em prol da eco-inovação (cadeia Beta). A coleta de dados contou com materiais secundários, 20 entrevistas semiestruturadas e visitas in loco. Os resultados indicam que a eco-inovação é incorporada na estratégia da maioria das empresas. As principais práticas referem-se a produtos e processos eco-inovadores, sendo motivadas tanto por drivers internos (preocupações ambientais por parte dos gestores e busca por eficiência) quanto externos (pressões normativas e cooperação). Existe um alinhamento parcial das cadeias em favor da sustentabilidade, sendo que os relacionamentos mais próximos ocorrem entre o elo produtor e as indústrias. Foram encontradas relações com membros não tradicionais, como o terceiro setor e o governo. As principais barreiras à eco-inovação referem-se a questões técnicas, financeiras e concorrenciais. Questões relacionadas aos consumidores são vistas tanto como barreira (pelo desconhecimento e falta de atitude de compra) quanto como oportunidade (pelas tendências de sustentabilidade e alimentação saudável). Outra oportunidade refere-se à diferenciação frente a concorrentes e posicionamento da empresa. Os resultados indicam o elo produtor como o mais frágil da cadeia, pela necessidade de seguir rigorosamente a legislação, sem obter muitos incentivos governamentais que amparem perdas ou o remunerem pelos serviços ambientais prestados. O trabalho contribui ao expor a perspectiva de um país em desenvolvimento, salientando a importância da eco-inovação para uma GSCS mais competitiva, principalmente no caso de cadeias born green. A partir do investimento inicial da empresa focal em eco-inovação, esta busca ou desenvolve outros elos alinhados a estas práticas. Os dados encontrados apontam para a importância crescente do setor de alimentos eco-inovadores, que é uma ótima opção para empresas agregarem valor à sua imagem e seus produtos. / Considering the increasing importance and complementarity of the issues of eco-innovation and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), as well as the relevance of the food industry in Brazil, the goal of this work is to analyze how eco-innovation contributes to the SSCM in the food sector. A multiple case study was conducted in two Sustainable Supply Chains (SSCs) that have eco-innovative practices: chain Alpha, which focal company is eco-innovative since its beginning; and chain Beta, which focal company is changing its position in favor of eco-innovation. Data collection included secondary data, 20 semi-structured interviews and on-site visits. The results indicate that eco-innovation is incorporated into the strategy of most companies. The main practices refer to products and eco-innovative processes, which are motivated by internal drivers (environmental concerns by managers and search for efficiency) and external drivers (regulatory cooperation and pressures). There is a partial alignment of the chains in favor of sustainability, and the closest relationships occur between producers and industries. Relations with non-traditional members (third sector and government) were also found. The main barriers to eco-innovation are technical, financial and competitive. Consumers-related issues are seen both as a barrier (for their lack of knowledge and purchasing attitude) and as an opportunity (because of sustainability and healthy eating trends). Another opportunity is the differentiation against competitors and the positioning of the company. The results indicate that the producer is the weakest link of the chain, as it must follow strict rules, but does not have government incentives that support losses or remunerate his environmental services. The work contributes by exposing the perspective of a developing country, stressing the importance of eco-innovation for a more competitive GSCS, especially in the case of born green chains. When the focal company invests in eco-innovation, it searches or develops other links according to these practices. The findings indicate the growing importance of eco-innovation in the food sector, which is a great option to add value to the company’s image and products.