Abstract
Sustainable supply chain management continues to gain crucial global recognition for cost reductions and improved supply chain performance. However, there is a lack of consensus on standards and measures, and the configurations vary between sectors and countries. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries require specific sustainable practices to contribute to global development as a sector offering various economic development prospects. However, operational inefficiencies and a lack of adequate support and sustainable measures derail SMEs from achieving that goal. A few exceptional developing countries have used collaborative initiatives, like multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve efficiency. The remainder of the developing countries, including Malawi, require interventions.
The SMEs in Malawi dominate the fruit and vegetable industry, but they lack adequate market awareness and operational support to achieve sustainability. Consequently, a conceptual model was required to facilitate the redesign of the food supply chain in Malawi's perishable food industry.
This research studied the sustainability elements needed for model development and performance prediction of a redesigned banana cold chain in Malawi. The main research question was to determine a suitable cold chain model for a sustainable banana supply chain. The investigative research questions explored the impact of contemporary cold chain practices on sustainability performance, the opportunities and barriers for redesigning banana supply chains, and the performance forecast of a redesigned sustainable banana cold supply chain. The research objectives included exploring the approaches for conceptualising a sustainable cold chain model for bananas in Malawi, investigating the link between cold chain issues and sustainability performance, identifying improvement opportunities and barriers, and analysing the long-term impact of the redesigned sustainable banana supply chain.
The research highlights the challenges supply chains face in developing countries and stressed the importance of sustainability to supply chain management. It also highlighted the lack of dependable facilities in developing countries and compared the advancement of cold chain systems in developed and developing countries. The study applied design science research to conceptualise a model for sustainable cold supply chains that includes awareness, collaboration, efficiency, governance, information sharing, and resilience
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practices. Performance in terms of sustainability is measured using selected key performance indicators. The research employed the underpinning theories of network theory, theory of constraints and theory of change.
The research combined qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyse the supply chain processes and used simulation to test the various scenarios. A conceptual model was created for the study using discrete event simulation and design science research to create and test the model. The findings suggest that the conceptualised supply chain model has the potential for sustainability and cost-effectiveness provided there are improvements in the supply chain for the participants which include awareness, governance strategy, collaboration, information sharing, efficiency, and resilience. The simulation model results show that alternative models can improve performance in terms of lead-time, shelf-life, and waste management.
The study contributes to the academic literature on sustainable supply chain adoption and provides managerial insights for implementing a sustainable cold supply chain for fresh fruit. Further research is recommended to explore sustainable supply chains in other developing countries and use different simulation techniques.