Nowadays, environmental consciousness has become a popular topic in the world, and the environmental issue has raised the social responsibility of entire supply chains in various industries.
Environmental protection and pollution control have been identified as a new industrial issue, which is reflected by the implementation of environmental policy (WEEE/RoHS/EUP).
While some advanced companies had already adapted to the trend of green supply chain before environmental policy was in practice, the European Union and many other countries have set up a variety of rules to ensure that all manufacturers who sell certain products in these countries follow the rules in the production process. From the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen in 2009, various countries are in agreement that environmental protection is essential and that reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is the most important way to combat global warming.
Thus, the rational of focusing mainly on cost, delivery and quality is out-dated and cannot keep a firm competitive in the market.
Environmental protection and sustainable development have become more and more important factors in business operation.