Analytic Hierarchy Process-Based Analysis to Determine the Barriers to Implementing a Material Efficiency Strategy: Electrical and Electronics’ Companies in the Malaysian Context

Fu Ho,Salwa Abdul-Rashid,Raja Raja Ghazilla

doi:10.3390/su8101035

Abstract

Material efficiency is one of the most important strategies for helping manufacturing companies achieve sustainability in their production activities. However, there are many barriers to the implementation of material efficiency strategies in the manufacturing processes and overall business operations. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the barriers faced by Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing companies in Malaysia in implementing material efficiency strategies. A mixed-mode research method was employed to collect data from these companies. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify the barriers faced by the Malaysian Electrical and Electronics (E&E) industry, while an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) survey was utilized to determine the importance of each barrier. Seven companies participated in the semi-structured interviews, and 18 companies took part in the AHP survey. Nine barriers were generated from analysis of the interviews, and were then ranked by priority using the AHP method. These important findings could be used as a guide for E&E companies in managing or overcoming barriers during the implementation of material efficiency strategies and other sustainable manufacturing activities.

Highlights

IntroductionOver the past few decades, an increasing number of manufacturing companies have undertaken various environmental strategies to enhance resource utilization and to reduce waste generation, such as energy efficiency, 3R strategy (reduce, reuse, recycle), waste minimization, resource efficiency, and material efficiency
Over the past few decades, an increasing number of manufacturing companies have undertaken various environmental strategies to enhance resource utilization and to reduce waste generation, such as energy efficiency, 3R strategy, waste minimization, resource efficiency, and material efficiency
The evaluation was only conducted for the criteria and sub-criteria levels, and no alternatives were measured in the constructed Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework

Summary

Introduction

Over the past few decades, an increasing number of manufacturing companies have undertaken various environmental strategies to enhance resource utilization and to reduce waste generation, such as energy efficiency, 3R strategy (reduce, reuse, recycle), waste minimization, resource efficiency, and material efficiency. Manufacturers using green materials emphasize product light weighting and product design for longer life [1,2,3]. These practices can contribute to the implementation of material efficiency in manufacturing. There is a growing trend in material efficiency, its implementation and practice are still limited for various reasons [4,5] One such reason is the existence of barriers that hinder the implementation of this strategy, which could result in manufacturers being unable to optimize the use of their raw materials and improve their business performance. By identifying and understanding these barriers, manufacturers can undertake appropriate countermeasures to optimize their raw material usage and effectively [6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion