Designing a Framework for Sustainable Supply Chain Management of Coal Transportation

The coal transportation industry plays a crucial role in meeting global energy demands; however, it is also associated with significant environmental and social challenges. As the world strives for a sustainable future, it becomes imperative to address these challenges and develop frameworks that promote responsible practices within the industry. Sustainable Supply chain management (SSCM) offers a comprehensive approach to achieving environmental, social, and economic sustainability throughout the coal transportation process. By integrating sustainability principles into every stage of the supply chain, from extraction to delivery, SSCM ensures that transportation operations minimize their ecological footprint while maximizing stakeholder value. This subject focuses on designing a framework for sustainable supply chain management specific to the coal transportation industry. It explores key considerations such as reducing greenhouse emissions, promoting worker safety and welfare, minimizing community impact, and improving resource efficiency. Sustainable supply management frameworks can be effectively implemented through innovative technologies, stakeholder collaboration, and integration of renewable energy sources, resulting in significant environmental benefits and improved overall performance within the coal transportation sector. Hence, in this chapter. In the first phase, an effort is made to discuss and prioritize the challenges of sustainable supply chain management in the coal sector using the ARAS MCDM (multi-criteria decision-making method). The second phase of this chapter suggests the use of Quality function deployment (QFD) to design a framework to mitigate the challenges.