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

Abstract

Nowadays, the manufacturing industry is faced with the challenge to adhere to stringent environmental regulations due to the scarcity of natural resources, global warming and waste management issues. Increasing environmental concerns and awareness are the driving force which pushes manufacturers all over the world to adopt green manufacturing practices. However, the drivers and barriers of implementing green manufacturing practices in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) differ from those for large enterprises since SMEs lack the data, resources, technical expertise and experience required to implement green initiatives. The environmental performance of SMEs is mostly driven by the intention of company owners. Since SMEs play a crucial role in a nation's economic growth, it is imperative to identify the drivers and barriers which will motivate and hinder the implementation of green manufacturing practices in SMEs, which forms the main motivation of our work. In this paper, we report preliminary findings on the drivers and barriers faced by SMEs in implementing green manufacturing practices, specifically in Malaysia. We use the Delphi survey method to explore, identify and verify the drivers and barriers of green manufacturing practices by obtaining consensus from a panel of experts. The experts are required to answer questionnaires in three rounds. The results of this study will offer insight to SMEs who intend to transform their manufacturing practices from conventional to green ones. We believe that our study will assist the manufacturing industry in prioritizing the key factors which will influence the adoption of green manufacturing practices.