Developing a sustainable development framework in the context of mining industries: AHP approach

Although mining companies contribute positively to the social and economical components of sustainable development (SD) by generating employment and wealth, they still negatively contribute to the ecological component of SD. Therefore, mining companies are increasingly showing their inclination toward the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) in order to improve their ecological performance. With an extensive literature survey, various criteria and sub-criteria for improving the effectiveness of GSCM implementation are identified from the literature. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to evaluate the competitive priorities of these criteria, and interested organizations can use it as a procedural guidance for GSCM implementation. It has been found that mining companies have not given the soft factors of GSCM adequate attention. This study explores how the appropriate implementation approach and continuous improvement are the weaker areas of GSCM practice in the case of the Indian mining sector. Hence, mining industries need to focus on these weaker areas and bring necessary improvements to these areas in order to enhance their GSCM performance. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.