Sustainability and Value Chains Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, definitions, framework authors, and dates for the Sustainability and Value Chains course.

Supply Chain

The forward-moving operational flow of materials from raw material suppliers through manufacturing, storage, retail, to the consumer, focused on operational efficiency and logistics.

Value Chain

A strategic framework that works backwards from the customer to identify where value and margin are created across activities such as R&D, Production, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service.

Porter's Value Chain (1985)

A framework developed by Michael Porter dividing company activities into primary and support activities that feed into margin to analyze where customer value is created.

SCOR Model

A framework modeling operational flow execution across a supply network through six core processes: Plan, Source, Make / Transform, Deliver / Fulfil, Return, and Enable / Orchestrate.

SCOR Digital Standard (2022)

An updated standard that embedded sustainability directly into the SCOR model and reframed supply chains as dynamic networks rather than linear sequences.

Plan (SCOR Process)

The first SCOR process, focused on balancing demand and supply against available resources.

Source (SCOR Process)

The second SCOR process, covering procurement, purchasing materials, and managing suppliers.

Make / Transform (SCOR Process)

The third SCOR process, covering manufacturing and production activities.

Deliver / Fulfil (SCOR Process)

The fourth SCOR process, covering order management, warehousing, and distribution.

Return (SCOR Process)

The fifth SCOR process, covering reverse logistics flows and product returns.

Enable / Orchestrate (SCOR Process)

The sixth SCOR process, covering management support and process integration across all other supply chain operations.

Shareholder Theory (1970)

A theory by Milton Friedman claiming that the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits and maximize shareholder returns within the law and market rules.

Stakeholder Theory (1984)

A theory by R. Edward Freeman asserting that the purpose of a business is to create value for all stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, employees, communities, and financiers.

Brundtland Report (1987)

A United Nations report titled 'Our Common Future' that defined sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.

Triple Bottom Line (1997)

A framework formulated by John Elkington that measures corporate performance across three pillars: Profit (economically viable), People (socially just), and Planet (environmentally correct).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 (target year 2030) connecting planet, people, and prosperity across social, environmental, economic, and institutional dimensions.

Cradle to Cradle (C2C)

A design framework introduced by Braungart & McDonough (2008) centered on eco-effectiveness, biological and technical metabolisms, and the principle that 'waste equals food'.

The 7 Rs of Sustainability

A framework for resource efficiency comprising Reduce, Refuse, Rethink / Reflect, Replace, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle.

Waste Hierarchy

A 5-level prioritization framework for waste management ordered from most preferred to least preferred: 1. Reduce (Reduzir), 2. Reuse (Reutilizar), 3. Recycle (Reciclar), 4. Recover (Regenerar), 5. Dispose (Dispor).

Eco Design

The integration of environmental considerations into product design and development to reduce adverse impacts across the product life cycle and mitigate negative externalities early.

Creating Shared Value (CSV)

A concept by Porter & Kramer (2011) stating that companies generate competitive advantage by solving social issues through reconceiving products & markets, redefining value-chain productivity, and enabling local clusters.

Materiality Analysis

A 5-step process and matrix that prioritizes sustainability issues based on their relevance to stakeholders (Y-axis) and impact on business competitiveness (X-axis).

SWOT Analysis

A strategic tool mapping internal factors (Strengths, Weaknesses) and external factors (Opportunities, Threats) to guide competitive strategy and risk monitoring.

Circularity Indicators (Rossi et al., 2020)

A measurement model assessing supply chain circularity across four dimensions: Material / Product, Stakeholder, Economic, and Social.

Social Dimension of the Circular Economy (Padilla-Rivera et al., 2020)

A framework focused on labor practices and decent work, evaluating employment creation, health & safety, training, diversity, and fair income distribution in circular supply chains.