Barriers to achieving green precast concrete stock management : a survey of current stock management practices in Singapore

Green supply chain management (GSCM) has emerged to address the rising recognition of environmental considerations insupply chain management since the 1990s. Much has already been discussed about the use of green purchasing and eco-design in the construction industry to achieve environmental benefits. However, it should be noted that the role of stock management, which is an integral part of supply chain management, to achieve GSCM should not be overlooked following a life cycle perspective. This paper therefore aims to identify the barriers in current stock management practices to achieving green stock management. Precast concrete is chosen as the research target owing to the large demand for public housing projects in Singapore. A weighted factor model comprising 17 precasters in Singapore is adopted. The results indicate that the most significant barriers in current stock management practices are large inventory, lack of sufficient care, inappropriate battens, inappropriate staffing arrangements and unclear identification marks. The analysis provides good practice guidance and can be used as a checklist for precasters to achieve green stock management. The results of this study will also be useful for regulatory agencies to provide recommendations for the precast concrete industry to reduce waste and achieve green stock management.