Overview 

  • The center builds valuable partnerships with organizations such as the USDA, NASA-Acres, the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) to promote responsive and sustainable practices in the supply chain industry. 
  • We conduct impactful research projects to address critical supply chain challenges in the agriculture, food, and healthcare sectors. These funded projects offer practical insights and recommendations to enhance responsiveness, efficiency, safety, and sustainability in supply chains. 
  • We provide diverse opportunities for educational and professional development to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation throughout our region and beyond.  

Mission and Purpose 

The SCR3 for Sustainable Supply Chains is to advance the field of supply chain management through strategic partnerships, impactful research, and professional development.  We are committed to driving positive change and promoting responsive and sustainable practices in the supply chain industry, particularly in the agriculture, food, and healthcare sectors. Our center focuses on three key initiatives to fulfill this mission: 

Growing through Private-Public-Academic Partnerships: We actively develop and nurture relationships with private, public, and academic partners in the St. Louis Region and beyond. These partnerships foster collaboration, promote knowledge exchange, and drive innovation. They leverage the strengths of each sector to address complex challenges, improve research outcomes, and create practical solutions that benefit industry, academia, and society as a whole.  Our current partnerships include (but are not limited to), NASA-Acres, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), St. Louis AgriBusiness, St. Louis Regional Freightway, Missouri Department of Transportation, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, Logistics and Transportation Association of North America, Association of Supply Chain Management (ASCM), Bunge, Bayer, AB-InBev, and the Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation. 

Addressing sustainable supply chain challenges in the agriculture, food, and healthcare sectors: We undertake important and impactful research projects that address critical, supply chain sustainability challenges in multi-modal transport, urban transportation, last-mile delivery, and beyond in the agriculture, food, and healthcare sectors. These projects are funded and encompass a wide range of methodological approaches, allowing us to explore innovative solutions to complex supply chain problems. By conducting research at the intersection of academia and industry, we aim to ‘bridge high-value research and practice’ and provide practical insights and recommendations that improve responsiveness, efficiency, safety, and sustainability in supply chains. 

Providing educational and professional development opportunities: We provide educational, networking, and professional development opportunities to enhance community engagement, foster collaboration, and exchange knowledge.  Through our relationships, we strive to drive innovation and contribute to the growth and advancement of the supply chain community. 

St. Louis Freightway boasts that “the St. Louis region is well suited to accommodate all aspects of a company’s logistics and talent supply chain”. The initiatives undertaken by the Barriger Center for Sustainable Supply Chains directly impact food security, public health, and economic stability throughout our region and beyond.  Through our partnerships, research, and outreach efforts, we strive to be a recognized leader in supply chain management. Our purpose is to contribute to the development of responsive, sustainable, and socially responsible supply chains that positively impact businesses, communities, and the environment.