Drivers for the adoption of sustainable manufacturing practices: A Malaysia perspective

Abstract

Sustainable manufacturing aims to reduce environmental impacts during manufacturing activities by implementing strategies such as waste minimization, resource efficiency, pollution prevention, energy efficient manufacturing processes, and end of life management. Although sustainable manufacturing is being practiced and widely studied in developed countries, its advocation and implementation is still in its infancy in developing nations. This research aims to provide an insight into drivers to the adoption of sustainable practices in developing nations, specifically in Malaysia. A cross sectional survey was conducted among various manufacturing company in Malaysia and the data collected was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results show that competitiveness, company culture and public awareness has positive impact on sustainable manufacturing practices. Furthermore, the supply chain management was identified as the most importance practice in the implementation of sustainable manufacturing. The findings and recommendations from this research can facilitate manufacturing companies in Malaysia in their decision making processes on the possible changes in policies and operational process for the implementation of sustainable manufacturing practices in their organization.