SUSTAINABILITY AS A SUCCESS FACTOR IN GLOBAL OPERATIONS: A SURVEY OF CAR MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAINS

This paper analyses cases from the automotive industry, mainly green supply chain management aspects of three case examples of decisions in green practices in supply chain design in the automotive industry. Since the 1990s, environmental issues have put companies under a growing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, especially in logistics operations. As a result, green supply chains have been gaining importance on the agendas of business executives seeking to create competitive distinction. Many companies have adopted a "green attitude," seeking ways to integrate environmental dimensions into their business. The methodology used was a Survey with questions were based on patterns in green initiatives in the literature, this study's sample was three large assembly companies in the automotive segment, with industrial plants located both in the southeast region of Brazil and globally. The results show that the wave of sustainability is a result of more than just the threat of negative publicity, and it is pushing enterprises into the green zone. At the same time, economic instability with oscillating growth is forcing enterprises to concentrate on improving efficiency to compensate for unstable demand and the price volatility of commodities, including water and energy.