Supply chains as a lever for sustainability ?

Supply chains can act as effective mechanisms for raising environmental and social standards but can be very blunt instruments. While supply chain action can bring sustainability gains, it can also have unintended negative consequences and cause considerable resentment at the mismatch between costs and benefits along the chain. This article looks at how and why supply chains are being used to improve environmental and social performance and the impacts of this action. It starts by outlining the business trends which raised the importance of effective supply chain management to competitiveness, The second section uses case study examples to illustrate how supply chains are being used to improve sustainability. Section three looks in detail at the impacts o f supply chain action on the forest products sector. The article concludes by examining the progress that has been made in using supply chains to improve environmental and social performance, the potential pitfalls of such an approach and the prospects for the future.