Implementing Lean Green and Circular Practices to Develop Sustainable Operations

Since the emergence of rising environmental issues, firms urgently require a supply chain strategy that will allow them to compete effectively in the marketplace. Implementing lean and green supply chain management strategies have been recommended to achieve sustainability and competitiveness. Yet, there is some ambiguity about how these practices must interact with one another. While lean practices have been around for a while and are widely adopted by businesses, the green movement is still evolving in the supply chains for most industries. This paper aims to identify the most important lean-green practices in supply chain management and their relative importance to firms’ sustainable performance in automotive industry context using Best Worst Method. The results reveal that green related practices are the most important to achieve environmental, economic, and social performance respectively. Whereas most lean practices remain the least important. As mentioned by the results three green practices, namely Environmental Management System (EMS), Green Purchasing (GP), and Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R), are the most important, while Small Lot Sizing (SLZ) is the least important lean practice. These practices contribute to the improvement of environmental, economic, and social performance respectively. The findings of this research offer a theoretical and empirical roadmap for decision makers seeking to identify key practices that are most likely to contribute to improving various aspects of sustainable performance in automotive context.

Purpose: The removal of trade sanctions in 1995 led to trade liberalisation in the South African textile and clothing industry. Although this new regionalism increased economic activity, a decrease in environmental sustainability resulted. Over the years, this impairment has become a concern and national priority, with textile and clothing manufacturing firms urged to adopt green practices. Although some firms have reported improvements in environmental sustainability, many have not adopted green practices and thus their impact on supply chain performance remains unclear. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the impact of green practices on supply chain performance in the textile and clothing industry in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: This study was quantitative and it employed a correlational research design with an explanatory and predictive approach using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from managers working in the textile and clothing manufacturing firms in Gauteng. This was done through a survey method with the use of convenience sampling. A sample size of 446 textile and clothing manufacturing firms was determined. Findings/results: Green logistics practices exhibited a statistically insignificant relationship with supply chain performance, but the strongest relationship with green marketing practices. Practical implications: The results revealed a positive and significant relationship between green marketing practices and supply chain performance, while green logistics practices were found to exhibit an insignificant direct effect on supply chain performance. Originality/value: This study revealed strong mediating effects, which, mainly verify that green practices ultimately influence the overall supply chain performance in significant ways.

Recently, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of environmentalism and the adoption of various environmental management practices in the business community. Based on the assumptions of Social Learning theory (SLT), this study has unveiled Green HRM practices to study green organizational culture and voluntary workplace green behavior. How green practices influences Employees and Organizations (Internal and External) culture and voluntary workplace green behavior. How green practices enhances the existing green organizational cultural values and voluntary workplace green behavior to become a role model for others organizations, society and employees as well, especially in Pakistani context. This study tried to assess how green human resource management practices helps to enhance the progress or productivity of existing or already adopted green organizational culture and voluntary workplace green behavior and how green human resource management practices motivate the employees and organizations to adopt green organizational culture and voluntary workplace green behavior to meet the futures climate challenges and world sustainable goals. The data have collected from the employees of (Rawalpindi & Islamabad) banking sectors of Pakistan. This study validated the framework using the mediation technique in PLS-4 software and SPSS 21. Results has supported the mediating effect of Environmental Commitment between Green HRM, Green Organizational Culture and Voluntary Workplace Green Behavior (VWGB), this study have concluded with implications, limitations and directions for future research.

Drivers and Barriers Analysis for Green Manufacturing Practices in Malaysian SMEs: A Preliminary Findings

Nowadays, manufacturing industries are rapidly developing. However the constraints faced by today's producers are how to produce their products quickly through low costs while at the same time, the reduction of waste disposal in the environment. The high waste of time in the manufacturing industry is often attributed to the wastage that occurred in the company’s operations. Lean manufacturing is linked for improving the standard working. It is one of the production strategies that drive the industry towards a more efficient production of goods and services. Meanwhile, green manufacturing has been adopted as a requirement to achieve a minimal negative impact on the environment. The green lean is a concept to make sure system more efficient, reduce unwanted product releases and minimize the environmental impact. So, the main objective of this research is to reduce cycle time in manufacturing company by adopting green lean elements. This research focuses on furniture manufacturing and conducted a structural interview question, observation and time study method. To refine those time operation problems, the company had implemented the new green lean practices into the operation department. The results after implement these methods totally show an improved progress. The paper would help the manufacturer to organize and improve their company performance. In conclusion, this research is about to identify and reduce the time waste to improve the operation value of the manufacturing company while at the same time it would reduce the environmental impact in future.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between five green practices and firm performance. In addition, this paper investigates the influence of each green practice on environmental performance, economic benefits, and economic costs. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected based on a cross-sectional survey of owner/managers of 200 manufacturing SME firms in Uganda, Africa. SPSS was used to find descriptive means and test relationships between green practices and performance outcomes. Structural equation modelling was used to test for the influence of each practice on performance outcomes. The structural equation modelling results were obtained using the Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling software. Results were compared with similar studies conducted in developing countries. Findings Different green practices affect different performance dimensions in different ways across different industries. For example, eco-design and internal environmental management practices significantly influence environmental performance; green purchasing and internal environmental management practices significantly influence economic benefits; and internal environmental management practices affect economic costs. Overall internal environmental management is the key to positive outcomes across the three performance criteria. The authors show how the results obtained vary from similar studies conducted in developing countries and explain possible reasons for the difference. Research limitations/implications Africa is a rapidly industrialising nation faced with difficult choices between economic growth and increased pollution. Because SMEs represent the majority of manufacturing firms, they are the main polluters. Hence, better understanding of the costs and benefits, both environmental and economic, is important to encourage green practice adoption for the betterment of community health and prosperity. Originality/value Despite numerous studies on the relationships between green practice adoption and performance outcomes, only a few studies include both economic costs and benefits in addition to environmental performance. The study covers five green supply chain practices, whereas most similar studies are limited in the number of practices examined. The African context is unique and important because industrial development and environmental protection goals are in conflict. Similar studies are predominant in an Asian context which is more developed than Africa. The findings and comparisons raise important questions for further research in relation to the roles of national regulations, geographical markets and industry types in furthering green practices in manufacturing.

PurposeDrawing on the resource-based view, ecological modernization theory and upper-echelon theory, this study aims to explore how green manufacturing practices (GMGP) affect the sustainable performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachIt also examines the mediating role of green innovation (GIN) and the moderating role of managerial discretion (MD). To test the hypothesized model, the data was collected from 394 manufacturing SMEs though survey and analyzed using SPSS and AMOS (SEM).FindingsThe results provide evidence for the positive relationship between GMGP and corporate sustainable performance (CSPR), mediated by GIN. Furthermore, the presence of MD enhances the positive effect of GMGP on CSPR through GIN. Thus, this study enhances the understanding of the relationship between GMGP and CSPR, including its underlying mechanism and conditional effects.Research limitations/implicationsThis study collected sample from SMEs located in Punjab province of Pakistan which represents majority of the SMEs; however, future research can take data from other province and with large sample size.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the significance of GMGP and GIN in the manufacturing sector for attaining CSPR goals. GMGP guides business leaders to be more inclined toward the energy and resource consumption as well as waste generation within their organizations which lead to improved CSPR outcomes.Originality/valueThe findings of this study make significant contributions to the existing literature, shedding light on the dynamics between GMGP and CSPR. Moreover, the study offers managerial implications for organizations aiming to enhance their sustainable performance by implementing effective GMGP.

Abstract: Companies strive for superior results. Focusing on return, performance, and profitability is mainstream; this reasoning is constantly present in the decisions of the strategic operational management of companies. Based on this assumption, the objective of this work is to evaluate empirically whether the degree to which a company implements a combination of Just in Time (JIT) or Lean Manufacturing practices systematically affects the company's operational, financial, and/or organisational performance. For this, a meta-analysis was carried out; the final sample consisted of 28 articles, with 41 studies and 12,708 included subjects who provided the effects that explain the proposed relationship. The data were collected in the Web of Science, EBSCO, and Science Direct databases, with an open period, considering all works available until July 2020. Among the main findings, JIT practices and the company's operational performance present a positive, significant, medium effect. Lean manufacturing practices demonstrate a positive and significant relationship in operational, financial, and organisational performance, all with an average impact on the effect size. No direct relationship was found between the JIT variables and organisational performance (financial, operational, and environmental), based on the TBL. Additional research is needed regarding the relationship of JIT and Lean Manufacturing practices with the organisational performance (financial, operational, and environmental) based on the TBL, as well as an in-depth analysis of previous research related to green Lean practices and their relationship with organisational performance, based on the TBL.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of Indian firms practicing green manufacturing practices and their impact on extended supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors have adopted systematic literature review (SLR) to derive research objectives and questions. In order to answer research questions the authors have proposed a theoretical framework and derived research hypotheses. The authors identified constructs and items through extant literatures and developed a structured questionnaire which was pretested before using for final survey. The data were collected in two phases and also performed wave analysis to check non-response bias to avoid any significant impact of non-response bias on statistical analysis. The data has been used to conduct exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation which reduces variables into five parsimonious and orthogonal factors. The factor analysis output was further used as an input of regression analysis. Findings – The factor analysis output has further validated the findings from literature review. The factor analysis output suggests that total quality management (TQM), supplier relationship management (SRM), R & D and technology and lean manufacturing practices are important determinants of Indian firms practicing green manufacturing practices which impact extended supply chain performance. The regression analysis output has further established that TQM and R & D and technology are strong determinants of extended supply chain performance. However, present study does not support SRM and lean manufacturing practices from respondent’s perspective. However, it further needs to be explored. Research limitations/implications – The present study is limited to medium-sized manufacturing firms. Second, the conclusive model explains only 31.9 percent of the total extended supply chain performance. The study provides an insight to managers that those companies which have implemented TQM and green technology have realized superior performance in comparison to those which have not successfully implemented. Originality/value – The present study is toward understanding Indian green manufacturing practices.

Integrating and implementing Lean and Green practices based on proposition of Carbon-Value Efficiency metric

Research at the nexus of maritime management and operational performance suggests that lean management may benefit from sociotechnical systems theory (STS) in terms of long-term business performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which lean management practices can improve operational performance. This study aims to assess the relationships between lean policy, lean practices, operational performance, and business performance in the context of container shipping. The examined data are acquired from 212 respondents in Taiwan, and a structural equation model is employed to evaluate the hypotheses. The results show that lean policy and practice positively impact both lean social practices and lean technical practices. Lean social practices and lean technical practices are positively related to operational performance. Operational performance is associated with business performance. In particular, lean policy has a direct relationship with operational performance. Based on lean policy is easily able to directly improve its lean social practices and lean technical practices, proving lean policy can strongly push organizations towards further enhanced performance. Although it will be ups and downs along the way in terms of business performance, improving long-term business value and cost advantage is very importance. Thus, this article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the effect of lean practices and discusses practical implications for container shipping companies.

Sustainability is the focus of many manufacturers, yet uncertainty of competitive advantage that can be gained from sustainability causes manufacturer flinches from implementing green supply chain management. This research focuses to examine the implementation level of green supply chain management practices among manufacturing industry in Malaysia. The relationship between green supply chain management practices and operational performance also being studied in this research to show the competitive advantage that can be gained by firm. The green supply chain management that is covered in this study is internal green supply chain management, green supply chain management with suppliers and green supply chain management with customers. Furthermore, the operational performance of firm is identified through product quality, operational flexibility, delivery time and production cost. There are 111 respondents who work in manufacturing industry certified of ISO 14001, answered the questionnaire that send through email. The data is analysed through Software of IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The result showed that there is high implementation level of internal green supply chain management practices while for the external green supply chain management practices are having medium implementation level. Furthermore, the green supply chain management practices have significant and positive relationship with the operational performance. Therefore, implementation of green supply chain management practices helps the manufacturer obtain competitive advantage via better operational performance together with achieving sustainable development.

The objective of this paper is to verify to what degree the internal and external barriers (I/EBs) to environmental management affect the adoption of green operational practices (GOPs) and to determine whether they influence the firms’ operational and green performance in a sample of Brazilian companies. A conceptual framework with 8 hypotheses is proposed and tested at 75 companies using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS 4.0. The main results show that (a) the proposed framework obtained an adequate statistical adjustment, (b) the internal barriers (IBs) are more significant than the EBs when adopting GOPs, (c) GOPs relate directly to the firms’ green and operational performance (OP), (d) the IBs also indirectly influence the firms’ green and OP and (e) the firm size does not significantly influence its green and OP. This work contributes to the literature by showing that companies which are looking for green competitive advantages should try to reduce their IBs. Also, policy-makers should pay attention not only to legislation that promotes ecological modernisation, but also to create a strong set of initiatives to overcome IBs, regardless of the size of the firms.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of Industry 4.0 technologies on the relationship between lean production (LP) and operational performance improvement within Brazil, a developing economy context.Design/methodology/approachOne representative from each of the 147 studied manufacturing companies filled in a survey on three internally related lean practice bundles and two Industry 4.0 technology bundles, with safety, delivery, quality, productivity and inventory as performance indicators. As this study was grounded on the contingency theory, multivariate data analyses were performed, controlling for four contingencies.FindingsIndustry 4.0 moderates the effect of LP practices on operational performance improvement, but in different directions. Process-related technologies negatively moderate the effect of low setup practices on performance, whereas product/service-related technologies positively moderate the effect of flow practices on performance.Originality/valueWith the advent of Industry 4.0, companies have been channelling their efforts to achieve superior performance by advancing levels of automation and interconnectivity. Eventually, widespread and proven manufacturing approaches, like LP, will integrate such technologies which may, in turn, impair or favour operational performance. Contrary to previous studies, the contingencies appeared to have a less extensive effect. The authors point to various options for further study across different socio-economic contexts. This study evidenced that purely technological adoption will not lead to distinguished results. LP practices help in the installation of organisational habits and mindsets that favour systemic process improvements, supporting the design and control of manufacturers’ operations management towards the fourth industrial revolution era.

Environmental concerns and sustainability issues have attracted many practitioners and researchers. Still, numerous small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies are reluctant to invest in environmentally friendly practices with a doubt that investment in such practices might lead to negative production performance outcomes. To settle this tension, this study examines the effect of green production practices on production performance and the intervening effect of lean practices between green production practices and production performance. The study employs a quantitative research method where survey-based data were collected from 227 SMEs in an emerging economy: Pakistan. Results unveil that green production practices have a significant positive impact on production performance. The interactive effect indicates a sharp rise in production performance when a firm implements lean practices in the production process. The study helps settle the current confusion among firm managers related to the investment in green and lean practices in the production system.