Green Supply Chain Management Practices and Competitiveness of Logistics Firms in Mombasa County

Abstract

Green supply chain management has emerged as a key approach for logistics firms seeking to become environmentally sustainable and globally competitive. As a developing country, Kenya has to balance both operational and environmental performance. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between competitiveness and adoption of green supply chain management practices by logistics firms in Mombasa County, Kenya. A descriptive research design was adopted for this study. It targeted a population of logistics firms operating in Mombasa County listed by Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). A sample of 50 firms was taken. The data was collected using questionnaires. The results obtained indicated that green supply chain management practices were at implementation stage and that most logistics firms were considering adoption. The study also established that the major perceived benefits of adopting green supply chain management are; reduction of environmental degradation, reduction of operational costs and increased customer base. Lastly, the major factors influencing adoption of green supply chain management were found to be; organization resources, desire for economic benefit, government regulations and customer awareness. The study recommends that the management in logistics firms should focus and allocate more resources towards pollution prevention practices as these results in greater savings and thus higher firm performance. They should also strive at achieving green supply chain management practices as this will enhance efficiency in the logistics industry, environment performance and reduce waste to achieve cost savings. Finally, the logistics firms should act fast and implement green supply chain management practices since there are potential benefits which will result in sales growth.