Logistics and distribution challenges to managing operations for corporate sustainability: Study on leading Indian diary organizations

In order to improve the corporate sustainability of agro-food value chains, business organizations need to rely on a higher performing and more reliable logistics system. Particularly, in case of dairy industry, organizations are facing some important challenges containing people management, short shelf life, high food losses and wastage, high greenhouse gas emissions. Based on “Confederation of Indian industry - Dairy Vision 2025”, it is believed that the dairy sector in India has high potential if organizations can develop an effective logistics and supply chain system. This article attempts to analyze the interaction between distribution related challenges with a focus operational excellence and higher corporate green growth and sustainability viewpoints in food supply chains by considering the business example of four Indian dairy product based organizations using graph theory and matrix approach. Several key challenges were identified based on a literature survey and experts’ views. Graph theory and matrix approach has been applied to select the most significant challenge. The results show that food organizations must work on cold chain to manage logistics and distribution challenges to reduce wastage, decrease financial losses and to take environmental issues into account. This paper ranks the challenges as well as develop an index for the dairy industry to achieve corporate sustainability in its supply chain and logistics network. The present study findings will provide useful knowledge for managers and policy makers managing interaction between people and process aspects and corporate sustainability management in the agro-based diary organizational logistics and supply chains. This is one of the unique studies in food supply chain that helps in improving the logistics and supply performance in diary industries of emerging economies. [Display omitted]