The wood industry is known for being among the biggest resource consumers, having a relatively low yield. The wood furniture industry as part of the wood industry also remains a big generator of residues and a big consumer of resources. Diverse solutions and technologies have been developed to deal with the residues generated, but those technologies are mostly applied at the end of the production chain with limited results. Cleaner production represents a program based on continuous strategies applied to a more sustainable use of materials and energy, minimizing waste and pollution. This paper presents a case study of a cleaner production program developed in a small furniture industry in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, applying the concepts of cleaner production with parameters of ecodesign developed for the furniture industry. The object of study was the production of a wooden chair made from eucalyptus wood. The application of the cleaner production program and ecodesign parameters allowed a detailed characterization of the waste, resulting in opportunities for a reduction of the use of raw material by 30%, a reduction in waste by 49% and allowing a reduction in energy by 36% due to simplification of the productive process. Among the strategies applied were reshaping pieces, redesigning, and the substitution of materials. The results suggest that despite the existence of more complex environmental methods and approaches, the application of cleaner production plus ecodesign parameters could be more achievable for micro and small furniture industries.

The necessary transformation of the world’s energy matrices has led to a growth in developing technologies based on renewable sources. In this context, photovoltaic panels and their components count in Brazil with a production and commercialization chain that has accumulated a sustained growth of more than 100% of its generation capacities between the years 2018 and 2019, and that can fulfill or overcome this rate in 2019 to 2020. However, the conditions of a competitive market and the availability of a significant number of middle and small companies for the distribution and installation of photovoltaic technology may represent a scenario where multiple indicators must be considered. The purpose of this study is to apply a combined method to aid decision-making that corresponds to the supplier selection of the technology in the context of Northeast Brazil. The method is composed by the combination of a diffuse inference technique together with a multicriteria decision-making method, VIKOR, and the weight assignment to the indicators using the entropy method, according to the values of the decision matrix resulting from the diffuse inference technique that allows to develop the calculus. The results show that data collection from multiple sources and based on input variables can offer metrics about the suppliers for the selection criteria. Restrictions derived from data collection can be a barrier, and the method relies on an adapted script that facilitates application.

The direction for the construction of a sustainable supply chain concept has an evolution and contribution of multiple disciplines that have been elaborated by academic and business bias. From this point on, defining a concept of this subject represents an issue that demands an interpretative effort, since several factors and theoretical approaches influence this category. The objective of this article is to demarcate a theoretical framework on sustainable supply chains and relate it to the barriers present in the measurement of sustainable performance. The method applied in this assessment combines systematic literature review, qualitative analysis of content and bibliometrics, through interconnected steps, which allow a detailing of the dimensions and under dimensions of the sustainability in the supply chain and the identification of the barriers that are associated with the measurement of performance. The material considered is supported through theoretical and empirical studies, which approached the formulation of the concepts and their applicability at different levels of the supply chain. This allows the content analysis to demarcate certain stages of development and the different theoretical approaches that respond and assist the concept. The results contribute to the definition of a roadmap to measure of sustainable performance, an issue that is the basis of future studies over this theme.

A gestão da cadeia de suprimentos com foco no desempenho sustentável deve avaliar os fornecedores sistematicamente. Este processo envolve múltiplos critérios, econômicos, ambientais, sociais e organizacionais, que permitem identificar os padrões de excelência entre os operadores da cadeia. Nesse contexto, torna-se essencial o desenvolvimento de métodos que possibilitem a mensuração de indicadores de desempenho sob diferentes premissas e expectativas de resultados. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar as perspectivas de três grupos de métodos com aplicação na mensuração do desempenho dos fornecedores. Entre eles, destacam-se os métodos de decisão multicritério (MCDM), os modelos de otimização (contínua e discreta), bem como as abordagens heurísticas e metaheurísticas, cujos avanços tes se articulam com técnicas de inteligência artificial. A análise comparativa desses métodos revela o papel específico que cada abordagem desempenha nas ferramentas de apoio à decisão, mas também as potencialidades de elevar a capacidade dos métodos resultantes.

Photovoltaic systems technology supplier´s demand favorable levels of sustainable performance in the supply chain. The lack of a theoretical model according to the literature review to discuss the performance indicators of photovoltaic technology supplier´s in the Northeast of Brazil reinforces the need to develop a priori research adopting multivariate models. This paper aims to develop a method to measure the sustainable performance of photovoltaic technology supplier´s through structural equation modeling. The strategy adopted in this modeling establishes a logic of interlocution between the internal and external stakeholders of PV systems trading and installation companies. The results point out that the proposed hypotheses were accepted to relate the latent variables to the sustainable performance of the supplier agenda of the studied sample.

The search for levels of competitiveness among the players in the supply chain is an indispensable condition for innovation in the production services system. One sector that has experienced this dynamic is the supply of energy raw materials for biofuel production. The aim of this study is to propose a relational model of the criteria for the sustainable performance of Common Ricinus L. producers in the region of Irecê - BA. By identifying a set of criteria, the study enables the analysis of multiple dimensions that represent the production system of Ricinus Communis L. The research methodology implemented in the study is based on structural interpretive modeling as a reference model for sustainable performance in supply chain actors. The method used to analyze the relationships and trends between the selected criteria of the Ricinus Communis L. production system was the DEMATEL method. The data used is the result of interviews conducted with experts on the oilseed production system in the Northeast of Brazil, with questions about the cultivation of Ricinus Communis L. Among the findings of this study is the definition of a relational model of the criteria and theoretical frameworks that represent sustainable performance in the supply of raw materials by Ricinus Communis L. for the generation of biodiesel.