Abstract
The sixth mass extinction's emerging threat is sad, considering that humans have caused it. But, the growing world population leaves humans with no option in their desire to survive. This situation where humans need to survive and yet protect the habitat and many other similar scenarios complicate the process of seeking solutions to the looming disaster and extinction. Yet, with collaborations, humans can develop novel and innovative ideas to save them from the threats posed by the sixth mass extinction. This chapter examines how supply chain partners can collaborate to ensure green-sensitive and eco-innovative supply chain practices to help prevent this extinction.
TopIntroduction
Supply chains plays vital roles in the development of national economies by expediting functions such as operations, distribution, customer service, marketing, transportation among others. Nevertheless, with these obligations, supply chains system is causing harm to the environmental protection. The transport supply chain, in particular, is threatening the environment through the emission of greenhouse gases, noise pollution, water pollution and pollutants due to exponential growth of commuter activities (Verma et al., 2016). Therefore, the emerging and growth of motorized mobility has resulted to negative environmental impacts (Zhao & Zhang, 2018).
The global supply chain has emerged as an effective way of investment, production, and trade in national economies. Through the supply chain, nations, particularly developing ones, have realized social and economic development by creating employment opportunities (Abbasi, 2017). Like other countries globally, Kenya is staring at the reality of the sixth mass extinction, with scientific knowledge showing a decline in biodiversity and ecosystem services. According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), close to one million animals and plant species face the threat of extinction, weakening livelihoods, health, food security, and reduction in the quality of life (IPBES, 2019). One sector that contributes significantly to the degradation and loss of biodiversity is manufacturing which defines modern economies. Statistics show that the manufacturing industry accounts for 23% of employment worldwide and close to 15% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (World Bank, 2018). Yet, research also points to manufacturing as one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions (Golasa et al., 2021).
Exploring and stopping the threat of the sixth extinction requires eco-innovations upon which to prototype collective green creativity. One such eco-innovation is green manufacturing. Green manufacturing targets operations that recycle and reuse materials, reduce waste and pollution, moderate emissions, and use fewer resources. Therefore, green manufacturing is the establishment of environmentally friendly and renewable product processes in manufacturing (Dornfeld et al., 2013). Such a process brings positive change and limits the negative impact of manufacturing. The sixth mass extinction is emerging threat is sad, considering that humans have caused it.But,the growing world population leaves humans with no option in their desire to survive. This situation where humans need to survive and yet protect the habitat and many other similar scenarios complicate the process of seeking solutions to the looming disaster and extinction. Yet, with collaborations, humans can develop novel and innovative ideas to save them from the threats posed by the sixth mass extinction. This chapter endeavors to examine how supply chain partners can collaborate to ensure green-sensitive and eco-innovative supply chain practices that can help prevent this extinction.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Environmental Sustainability: The effort of meeting the expectations of both the existing and succeeding generations without jeopardizing the wellbeing of the biological community furnishing them.
Green Logistics: It is the effort of public or private entity to establish the appropriate strategies of supporting environmental sustainability through eco efficient activities with the focus of ultimate consumer satisfaction.
Supply Chain: This is the composition of single parties or organizational entities depending on the number of participants involved through the upstream and downstream flow of goods, works or services with distinct activities such as procuring,production and distribution from the source to the consumer.
Sixth Mass Extinction: This is a phenomena attributed to the human destructive activities such as deforestation for food production which reshapes the natural habitation thus affecting the population growth of the animals .This contributes to the diminishing breeding capability rendering them risk of vanishing.
Transportation: Transportation concept involves the movement of people or goods between the point of origin to the point of destination through infrastructural networks such as road,air or marine whose objective is to meet the market expectation.