Spannungsfeld Ökologie, Ökonomie und Resilienz im Supply Chain Management europäischer Industrieunternehmen

Abstract

In times of global crises, industrial companies are increasingly confronted with more frequent and short-term challenges and risks along their supply chains. In addition to geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties, the consequences of climate change, in the form of natural disasters or resource scarcity, also play a significant role in this regard. Necessary progress in the area of ecology is not being made to a sufficient extent, while at the same time the economic situation is putting companies under increasing pressure as they attempt to build resilient supply chains. This situation results in a much-noticed area of tension between ecology, economy and resilience. The aim of this thesis is to examine this from an ecological perspective. The central question is the potential of ecology to ensure resilient and economically stable supply chains. The initial focus is on defining the individual pillars of sustainability and outlining current ecological and economic challenges. An overview of the regulations in this area is also provided. The pillar of supply chain management subsequently includes an explanation of the basic structures and potential strategies for designing resilient and/or ecological supply chains. To better understand the concept of resilience, this topic is examined in more detail in relation to supply chains. In the main section, the selected research method of expert interviews is prepared, conducted and evaluated. This is a suitable method for obtaining the decisive qualitative input on the complex issues. The purpose of the discussion section is to derive key insights into the complex relationship between ecology, economy and resilience and to address the research questions. There is a broad consensus that Europe in general and the industrial sector in particular, is in a challenging economic situation. Economy and resilience are being prioritized in the alignment of supply chains. Although the importance of ecology is gaining in relevance, it is seen as a side effect in the current situation. Tangible synergies can be seen in the interaction between ecology and resilience. The starting point is usually resilience. Nevertheless, ecological measures are an important resilience factor due to the crises that occur and the dynamic market development. The exact effects on the economy are ambivalent. One thing is certain: as long as ecology remains an isolated European solution, it cannot be economically successful for internationally operating companies. Despite some promising approaches, the uncertainties and potential disadvantages currently outweigh the benefits. Only international cooperation and greater integration of ecology into operational processes can enable economic success. It should be emphasized that specific framework conditions and dependencies must always be taken into account for the concrete assessment of interactions.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Roland Braune (Supervisor)