Lean Manufacturing and Environmental Sustainability: The Effects of Employee Involvement, Stakeholder Pressure and ISO 14001

Ping-Kuo Chen,Itziar Lujan-Blanco,Jordi Fortuny-Santos,Patxi Ruiz-De-Arbulo-López

doi:10.3390/su12187258

Ping-Kuo Chen, Itziar Lujan-Blanco + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187258

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Abstract

This paper explores the relationships between lean manufacturing (LM), the promotion of green practices, employee involvement, pressure to take actions against environmental issues, the adoption of an ISO 14001-based environmental management system (EMS) and environmental performance in order to understand how LM can help improve environmental performance through environmental practices and the development of a lean culture. The effects of pressure to “go green”, employee involvement and the adoption of an EMS based on the International Organization for Standardization’s standard ISO 14001 are discussed. Data were collected from 220 Chinese manufacturing firms and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The results suggest that the implementation of LM has a positive effect on the promotion of green practices and consequent achievement of high environmental performance; employee involvement is a moderator that affects the relationship between green practices and environmental performance; pressure to “go green” is a mediator in the relationship between LM and green practices; however, the adoption of ISO 14001 does not act as a moderator on the relationship between LM and green practices, but synergies emerge if ISO 14001 is integrated with LM. The study shows the importance of human attitudes and fosters managers to develop the necessary mechanisms to ensure and enhance employee involvement and lean culture. Although these determinants of environmental sustainability have been studied separately until now, this paper analyzes them simultaneously, investigating the relationship between different strategies and shedding some light on successful actions that promote sustainable manufacturing, and on the role of LM in sustainability. The findings can help manufacturers to take the initiative to improve environmental performance and assist governments in implementing industrial policies.

Highlights

Since the Industrial Revolution, the manufacturing industry has developed rapidly, driving economic growth and improving living standards
The research question that this paper addresses is: What are the relationships and effects between the following constructs: lean manufacturing (LM), the promotion of green practices, employee involvement, the pressure to “go green”, the adoption of an ISO 14001-based environmental management system (EMS) and environmental performance? the literature is rich in publications on these determinants of environmental sustainability, they have been mainly studied in different research streams
In addition to testing whether LM has positive effects on green practices, this study examines the relationships between implementation of LM, employee involvement, and environmental performance

Summary

Introduction

Since the Industrial Revolution, the manufacturing industry has developed rapidly, driving economic growth and improving living standards. Manufacturing activities require natural resources, water and energy and are responsible for waste, air emissions and water pollution, threatening our environment [1] and contributing to climate change [2] For this reason, manufacturing and environmental sustainability may be regarded as incompatible terms. Recent research shows that the aim to improve environmental performance (e.g., to minimize the consumption of energy in order to cut CO2 emissions) is difficult to achieve even with current best organizational practices [7]. For this reason, more research is necessary to understand the determinants of sustainable manufacturing and the relationships among different initiatives

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