Optimal design of sustainable chemical processes and supply chains: A review

The importance of balancing social, environmental and economic objectives in companies' development has cultivated a growing awareness on the sustainable optimal design and planning of supply chains. In the past years, significant research effort has been devoted to extend current approaches to capture these objectives in order to guarantee long term sustainability. Among the various approaches developed, inventory management, product design, production planning and control for remanufacturing, product recovery, reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chains have gained more attention in the literature. In this paper, we review some of the relevant research on sustainable chemical processes and supply chain design focusing on three main areas: (i) sustainable supply chains with respect to energy efficiency and waste management, (ii) environmentally sustainable supply chains and (iii) sustainable water management. The emerging challenges in this area are summarized, and future opportunities are highlighted. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.