Using eco-efficiency in sustainable supply chain management; a case study of furniture production

In this article, a three-step method, proposing how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can improve the environmental performance in their supply chain, is presented. The method is based on (1) an assessment of their products, (2) identification of critical processes that should be improved, and (3) identification of actors in the supply chain that should be focussed upon not only based on environmental performance, but also based on the abilities that the end producer has to influence them. This article is exemplified with a case study of furniture production in Norway. The case shows that the potential for improvement of processes under direct control by the end producer is limited. However, the three steps, as a whole, show how an SME with limited resources and supply chain power can identify key actors in the supply chains for further improvements, based on a potential for improvements of environmental performance and the possibilities that the end producer has to impose improvements.