An Empirical Study on the Barriers and Application of Best Green Supply Logistic Practices in Manufacturing Sector

In recent years, concept of green supply chain management has started gaining importance in India inspite of unclear regulations from the government. Logisticsinvolve not only transportation but also warehousing, packaging, inventory management and material handling. All these activities in logistic make a substantial adverse impact on the environment. Green logistic practices are the need of the hour to reduce the impact on the environment and gain competitive advantage. The major objective of this paper is to empirically analyze the major barriers to implementation of green logistics and to statistically rank the best green logistics practices with respect to Manufacturing Sector in Tamil Nadu.Quantitative approach was carried out to find out the barriers to green logistics and filter out the best green practices with the help of survey conducted among the middle level managers in the operations department of different organizations in Manufacturing Sector in Tamil Nadu. The major barriers emerged from the study are cost of implementation of green logistics, lack of training in green logistics practices, lack of top level management commitment, lack of acceptance in advancement of new technology and practices and lack of skilled human resource. This research study will help the policy makers in understanding the significance of the green supply chain management and the overall sustainability by focusing on green supply chain logistics resulting in positive mindset towards enforcement of environment protection rules and regulations.