Effektiv och Hållbar Lagerstyrning En studie inom Livsmedelsindustrin i Sverige

Sammanfattning: Background and Problem: In light of global warming it has become more important than ever for companies to alter their approach and operational management in order to become more sustainable. One industry that has a great impact on the environment and us humans is the food industry. The industry is expanding and new laws, regulations and agreements are constantly implemented, and every food company is obligated to comply with them. Operational management methods can be applied to companies' inventory management, therefore this thesis discusses whether the classic Economic Order Quantity model (EOQ model), the Sustainable Economic Order Quantity 2 model (SEOQ2 model) and other methods for the Swedish food industry in order to include sustainability criterias in inventory management. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to further understand how Swedish food companies can combine efficiency and sustainability, in order to create an optimal inventory management from both perspectives. Research questions: 1. How can companies combine efficiency and sustainability in order to get the optimal inventory management in the food industry? 2. How does a company weigh sustainability versus costs when it comes to inventory management? Approach: A qualitative research strategy is applied based on the deductive method. The data has been developed through five interviews from five different companies. The interviews are complemented by their sustainability reports and other secondary data. Findings: This study finds that companies work actively towards sustainability through various ways and on different levels. The inventory management of the five companies is mainly based on their experience and forecasts in inventory management. Since the companies already consider sustainability variables in their operational management, the base for implementing the SEOQ2 model is good. However, more information is required for all of the variables in order to ensure the reliability of the SEOQ2 model.