Supply chain management approach for greenhouse and acidifying gases emission reduction towards construction materials industry: A case study from China

Abstract The significant rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) and acidifying gas (AG) emissions have resulted in serious global warming and acidification problems, a major source of which are the emissions from construction materials. To reduce these adverse effects, it is vital that the overall environmental performances of construction materials supply chain networks (CMSCN) be evaluated and optimized. To this end, to fully consider the GHG and AG emissions, control total CMSCN costs, and determine a reasonable trade-off between economic development and environmental protection, this paper developed an innovative environmental evaluation method (EEM) nested in a multi-objective optimization model. The proposed approach was then applied to a practical case study in China to demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness in controlling GHG greenhouse and AG acidification problems and mitigating ecological-economic conflicts. Scenario analyses were also conducted focused on cost control and problem attention ratios, after which some targeted conclusions and policy suggestions were given. By comprehensively considering both the environmental effects and the economic benefits, the proposed methodology was shown to efficiently control GHG and AG emissions, reduce costs, and provide practical guidance on the sustainable development of CMSCN.