Evaluation of parameters for the sustainable supply chain management: A Taiwanese fresh-fruit sector

Abstract

Numerous sustainability initiatives have been discussed and widely adopted in various sectors worldwide. This research aims to identify which essential parameters affect sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practice through the case of the Taiwanese fresh-fruit sector. An industry has great importance to the households of indigenous people, significantly contributing to the sustainable development in rural areas of Taiwan. A total of twelve SSCM parameters have been verified, and then the authors conducted the TOPSIS approach process to determine the importance level of these SSCM parameters. The analysis results suggested that “Collaboration”, “Distribution and Logistics service”, “Customer” have supreme importance, respectively. On the contrary, at the bottom of the prioritized list is three variables consisting of “Warehouse/Storage”, “Organizational social responsibilities”, and “Processing and packaging”. This is the unique study to consider SSCM practice through the case of the Taiwanese fresh-fruit chain; hence, these key findings could be a valuable reference for the top managers to make decisions.