A French Guide for Businesses and Governments to Integrate the Concept of Sustainable Development Into Their Supply Chains

Introduction

The environment is the essence of human life. Air, water, oxygen, fauna and flora are part of our hemisphere and are essential to life. They are important resources, which is why they must be respected and taken into consideration as a whole. This is why we talk about sustainable development. Indeed, sustainable development is made up of several indicators, such as: gross national product, human development index, indicator of economic and social well-being, etc., but its primary goal is to strive to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of future generations (Brundtland WCED report, 1987). However, this concept is only beginning to come into fashion at the end of the 20th century. Indeed, in the 1960s, this notion of sustainable development was not as important as it is today. Industrialists and politicians focused instead on mass production, with innovation and money-making as a priority (Taghipour, 2014). It was only in the 1970s that mentalities began to change. Humans are gradually becoming aware of the degradation of the environment (Taghipour, 2020). In the 1980s, researchers highlighted the depletion or even the extinction of certain natural resources necessary for our survival as well as for industries. It was only in the 80s and 90s that society became aware of sustainable development and that new industrial and political governance emerged. Therefore, environmental protection and human living conditions are intertwined. However, few manufacturers feel concerned by this problem. As a result, a few years later at the Stockholm conference, the link between rising population growth and ever-increasing needs is mentioned, since these two notions influence industrialization, which aims to be ever more competitive. This endangers the environment since the need is stronger than the available resources.