Avaliar a gestão da cadeia de suprimentos sustentável aplicada às pequenas e médias indústrias químicas de Uberaba

Abstract

Due to the growing efforts by businesses towards sustainability, impacts on the management of the supply chain have increased and, along with that, benefits achieved by companies adopting sustainable practices may go beyond the walls of each company, outreaching the community. An example which may justify the sustainable supply chain is the creation of an economic value based on efficient processes of consumption of scarce resources. Sustainable practices have been focused by many companies, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and much research has been performed on the supply chain. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to demonstrate the connection between sustainable practices adopted by Small and Medium Enterprises of the chemical industry in the city of Uberaba and the environmental and economical performance of these companies. In order to reach that purpose, initially it was developed a literature review on Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) and SMEs. Following, questionnaires were applied on small and medium enterprises situated in Uberaba. Through an exploratory analysis it was possible to identify practices adopted by SMEs as well as internal and external motivations that affect the policies implemented by SMEs. Confirmatory analysis has been applied to provide the estimated link between adopted sustainable practices and environmental and economical development of these enterprises. It is intended that this work provides data so that SSCM practices may be practiced by SMEs, and that such practices may contribute to the improvement of both environmental and economical performance.