| Course | SUST 5023 Eco-Business: Strategy, Governance, and Sustainable Operations |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Supply chain sustainability analysis |
| Length | 1,170 words, about 4 pages plus title and reference pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | American College of Education |
| Program | M.S. in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for SUST 5023 Module 3
Nearly Twice the Plant's Footprint: A Spend-Based Scope 3 Analysis of a Seating Maker's Suppliers
Student Name
American College of Education
SUST5023: Eco-Business: Strategy, Governance, and Sustainable Operations
Module 3 Assignment
Instructor Name
September 18, 2028
Introduction
The previous paper measured the operational emissions of Lakeshore Seating, a composite office chair maker in Holland, Michigan, at roughly 11,550 tonnes across Scope 1 and Scope 2 for 2025. Interface, examined in the first paper, reports that purchased goods and services are central to its science-based targets, and the same is likely true for Lakeshore. This paper estimates the emissions embedded in the parts and materials Lakeshore buys, identifies the hotspots, reviews research on engaging suppliers and sets out priorities and a plan for better data.
What Sustainable Supply Chain Management Involves
A review of nearly 200 studies treated sustainable supply chain management as running the movement of goods, information and money, and the cooperation among firms along the chain, so that economic, environmental and social aims are pursued together rather than traded off by default. The review identified two broad approaches (Seuring & Müller, 2008). One manages supplier risk and performance, for example through codes, audits and evaluation. The other develops sustainable products across the chain, which requires closer cooperation with suppliers. Lakeshore currently does neither in a structured way, so this paper starts by measuring where the largest effects lie.
Choosing a Method
Scope 3 purchased goods emissions can be estimated in several ways. Supplier-specific data are most accurate but require each supplier to report its own emissions. Average-data methods multiply the weight of each material by an emissions factor. Spend-based methods multiply what a company spends in each category by an emissions factor per dollar derived from national economic and environmental accounts. Lakeshore has reliable spend data but incomplete weights and no supplier data, so this paper uses the spend-based method as a screening tool, recognizing that it is the least precise of the three. The aim at this stage is to rank categories, not to report a precise total.
Factors and Spend Data
Factors come from EPA's Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors, version 1.3, which give kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per 2022 dollar, at purchaser prices, for six-digit industry codes, using 100-year global warming potentials from the IPCC's fifth assessment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2024). Lakeshore's 2025 purchases were grouped into eight categories, each matched to the closest industry code, and expressed in 2022 dollars. Total spend in these categories was $56.4 million. Smaller purchases, such as maintenance supplies and services, were left for a later round.
Results by Category
Aluminum die-cast bases and arms, $14.6 million at 0.462 kilograms per dollar, produced about 6,745 tonnes. Upholstery fabric and mesh, $7.5 million at 0.507, produced 3,802 tonnes. Molded plastic shells, arms and casters, $9.8 million at 0.371, produced 3,636 tonnes. Stamped steel mechanisms and frames, $11.2 million at 0.319, produced 3,573 tonnes. Polyurethane foam, $6.2 million at 0.360, produced 2,232 tonnes. Corrugated packaging produced 1,150 tonnes, gas lift cylinders 626 and hardware 306 (EPA, 2024). The total is about 22,070 tonnes, 1.9 times the plant's own Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Hotspots
Four categories account for about 80 percent of the estimate: aluminum parts at 31 percent, fabric at 17 percent, plastics at 16.5 percent and steel at 16 percent. Aluminum stands out because it is both the largest spend and among the most emissions-intensive per dollar. Fabric has the highest factor per dollar of any category. Packaging, though small, is a visible place where design changes, such as lighter cartons or reusable shipping for large customers, can show quick progress. These hotspots set the order in which Lakeshore should engage suppliers. Hardware and gas cylinders, together under 5 percent, can wait for later rounds.
Limits of the Spend-Based Method
The method has important limits. Factors reflect industry averages, so a die caster using recycled aluminum and a low-carbon grid looks the same as one using primary metal and coal power. Price changes move the estimate even when physical quantities do not; a 10 percent rise in aluminum prices would raise estimated emissions 10 percent with no change in the metal used. Matching purchases to industry codes involves judgment. For these reasons, spend-based results identify where to look, not how well a particular supplier performs, and they cannot show progress from supplier improvements.
Research on Supplier Engagement
Jira and Toffel (2013), studying supplier responses to customer requests made through CDP's supply chain program, found that suppliers were more likely to share climate change information when more of their customers asked for it, and that sharing was shaped by suppliers' own characteristics and industry. The finding has two implications for Lakeshore. A single mid-sized buyer has limited influence, so joining requests with other furniture makers or industry programs will help. And starting with large suppliers that already report to other customers should yield data quickly.
Engagement Priorities
Lakeshore should engage suppliers in three tiers. First, its two aluminum die casters and its fabric mills, together about 48 percent of the estimate, should be asked for their own emissions per unit and recycled content, with a discussion of lower-carbon options such as higher recycled aluminum content. Second, steel and plastics suppliers should be asked for the same data within a year. Third, packaging suppliers should be invited to propose lighter or reusable designs. A short supplier sustainability expectation, attached to new contracts, would make these requests standard rather than optional.
Social Dimensions
Sustainability in the supply chain is not only about carbon. The supply chain literature stresses that social goals belong alongside environmental and economic ones (Seuring & Müller, 2008). Fabric and some plastic parts come from overseas suppliers whose labor conditions Lakeshore has never assessed. A supplier code covering working conditions, health and safety and environmental compliance, with a self-assessment questionnaire and audits for the highest-risk suppliers, would extend the company's responsibility beyond emissions. The code should be introduced with the emissions requests so suppliers face one coherent set of expectations.
Moving to Better Data
Over three years, Lakeshore should move its largest categories from spend-based to supplier-specific data. In year one, the four hotspot categories would be asked for emissions per kilogram or per part. In year two, purchasing would record weights for all major parts, allowing average-data estimates where suppliers cannot yet report. By year three, at least 60 percent of purchased goods emissions should rest on supplier or weight data. Only then can the company set a credible supply chain reduction target, such as the 50 percent purchased goods target Interface has adopted.
Conclusion
A spend-based screen using EPA's 2024 factors estimates Lakeshore Seating's purchased goods emissions at about 22,070 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, nearly twice its plant's footprint, with aluminum, fabric, plastics and steel the hotspots. Research on sustainable supply chains and on supplier disclosure points to tiered engagement, collective requests and a supplier code covering social as well as environmental issues. Because the spend method cannot show supplier progress, the plan moves toward supplier data over three years. The next paper examines the governance structures needed to oversee these commitments.
References
Jira, C., & Toffel, M. W. (2013). Engaging supply chains in climate change. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 15(4), 559-577. https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.1120.0420
Seuring, S., & Müller, M. (2008). From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(15), 1699-1710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.04.020
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Supply chain greenhouse gas emission factors v1.3 by NAICS-6 [Data set]. https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/supply-chain-greenhouse-gas-emission-factors-v1-3-by-naics-6
The SUST 5023 Module 3 assignment instructions
The third SUST 5023 paper usually asks you to analyze supply chain sustainability. Expect to estimate or describe the environmental and social impacts in an organization's supply chain, identify the largest sources and propose how to engage suppliers. Most prompts reward naming the method used, such as spend-based, average-data or supplier-specific estimates, showing the factors and their source and explaining the method's limits. Research on sustainable supply chain management and supplier disclosure can guide recommendations. Include social issues as well as emissions, connect to earlier modules and cite data sources and research in APA 7, with the factor version and year stated. Where data are thin, a screening estimate with clearly stated limits is better than no estimate at all.
Inside the SUST 5023 Module 3 example
The sample defines sustainable supply chain management, compares three estimation methods and explains why a spend-based screen fits the available data. EPA's version 1.3 factors are applied to eight categories, with spend, factor and result shown for each. The total of about 22,070 tonnes is compared with the plant's own footprint, and four hotspots are ranked. Limits of the method come next, then research on supplier disclosure, three tiers of engagement, a supplier code for social issues and a three-year plan to replace spend estimates with supplier data. Every category's industry code is listed so the match can be checked, and smaller purchases left out of the screen are named.
Where the points sit in the SUST 5023 Module 3 rubric
Supply chain papers are graded on method, prioritization and realism. Graders look for a named estimation method with cited factors, results shown clearly enough to check and hotspots identified from the numbers. Strong papers state the method's limits, use research to shape engagement and include social as well as environmental issues. A plan to improve data quality over time is often credited. Papers that list suppliers without measuring impact, present spend-based estimates as precise or recommend audits without priorities tend to score lower. Cite data sets, factor versions and research accurately in APA 7, and label composite data clearly. Comparing supplier emissions with the organization's own footprint helps readers grasp the scale. Clear labels on every table help too.
SUST 5023 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Scope 3 estimates are where many sustainability papers lose precision. We can help you choose an estimation method that fits your data, match purchases to the right factors and turn hotspots into supplier engagement priorities. Send your spend categories or a description of the organization, or ask for a composite case, and attach the prompt so the draft can show every factor and calculation. Manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, universities and food companies all work. Expect the analysis in about two days, with calculation tables attached for checking each total yourself. We can also adapt the method to international factor sets.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official American College of Education document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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SUST 5023 Module 3 questions, answered
What does SUST5023 Module 3 usually ask for?
Module 3 of SUST5023 usually asks you to analyze supply chain sustainability, often estimating supplier emissions and proposing ways to engage suppliers.
What is a spend-based Scope 3 estimate?
An estimate that multiplies spending in each purchase category by an emissions factor per dollar, useful for finding hotspots but not for tracking supplier progress.
Where can I find spend-based emission factors?
EPA publishes supply chain greenhouse gas emission factors by six-digit industry code, in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per dollar.
Where can I find a free SUST 5023 Module 3 sample paper?
This page has one: a seating maker's $56.4 million of purchases screened with EPA factors, about 22,070 tonnes, with aluminum parts the largest hotspot.
Should supply chain sustainability include social issues?
Yes. Research on sustainable supply chains treats social goals, such as working conditions, alongside environmental and economic ones.