Sustainable supply chain management: Why have we missed out on animal welfare?

The traditional objective of supply chain management has been to enable companies to match supply with demand efficiently and effectively. However, in the past decade requirements for supply chain management have shifted, which has led to an increase in the development of sustainable supply chains. A vast amount of research has accumulated investigating the conceptualizations, practices, and performance implications of sustainable supply chains. Researchers have applied traditional frameworks and conceptualized sustainability from an environmental, social, and financial performance perspective. However, what has been largely or entirely ignored in this conceptualization and research stream are animals and their welfare. Animals are part of many consumer products and thus supply chain management plays a pivotal role in how they are treated. The shift in consumer preferences and the current focus on sustainability concerns requires from companies a shift in supply chain management from a managerial and ethical responsibility standpoint. The objective of this chapter is threefold. Firstly, it provides a brief overview of sustainability research in supply chain management. Secondly, it analyzes the current state of knowledge on animal welfare in supply chain management research. And thirdly, it suggests an agenda for research in the animal welfare supply chain domain.