Legal Implications of Sustainable Value Chains for the Multi-National Company

Wende Huehn-Brown, Professor, Saint Petersburg College, USA

Abstract: Evolving international regulations are driving sustainability innovation and improvement in many value chains. Additionally, business-to-business relationships are further creating voluntary self-regulatory influences. This is impacting and complicating supply chain decisions from relationships with suppliers and customers, to strategic, marketing, financing, and operating decisions needed to comply with growing regulatory and stakeholder demands for more sustainable value chains. Broader supply chain network decisions are putting pressure on corporate strategies to not only enhance value to the customer, but also address social and environmental conditions in order to capture opportunities to further improve profit and market growth. This paper examines research in this field and while highlighting a case study on one organization’s journey to seek out value chains for sustainability compliance, we identify the pertinent European laws for multi-nationals seeking to compete in the global sustainability market.

Wende Huehn-Brown is a full-time professor in the College of Business at St. Petersburg College. Dr. Brown received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri - Rolla in Engineering Management. She holds M.E. and B.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Dr. Brown joined St. Petersburg College in March 2007 and is academically and professionally qualified. Her research interests include implementation of continuous improvement systems, associated with lean, six sigma, sustainability, and supply chain management. She has worked in these fields for almost 20 years with a variety of manufacturing and service industries, as well as government organizations.

St. Petersburg College is a state college that focuses on degrees to assist students with immediate transition to the workforce. As result of its education focus it's imperative that programs and course offerings remain cutting edge and up to date. The College offers both two year and four year degrees ranging from health sciences to criminal justice and business.