Description

This theme expands Lean Manufacturing beyond conventional productivity, quality, delivery and cost objectives toward integrated environmental, social and economic sustainability. It covers Lean-Green Manufacturing, Sustainable Lean, Green Lean Six Sigma, sustainable manufacturing, circular economy, industrial ecology, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, material efficiency, waste minimization, emissions reduction, cleaner production, recycling, reuse, remanufacturing, social sustainability, sustainable supply chains and multidimensional sustainability performance. Researchers are guided to distinguish operational waste from environmental waste and to determine empirically whether individual Lean practices generate positive, neutral or adverse sustainability effects rather than accepting the assumption that “Lean is green.” This distinction is important because evidence in the supplied literature shows that environmental outcomes of Lean practices can vary considerably across specific environmental dimensions and industrial contexts.