Recent developments in sustainable lean six sigma frameworks: literature review and directions

Abstract

Practical and theoretical evidence suggests that Sustainable Lean Six Sigma contributes to an organization’s performance as it highlights environmental aspects. However, the theoretical contribution of Sustainable Lean Six Sigma has not been discussed enough in the literature, and many companies do not know where to begin integrating Sustainability and Lean Six Sigma in operation management. This paper aims to identify and discuss recent developments in Sustainable Lean Six Sigma frameworks through a systematic literature review, considering the benefits, outcomes, tools and practices, sustainability key performance indicators and critical success factors. The results show that Lean Six Sigma tools have been adapted to incorporate the measurement of environmental waste. However, sustainability key performance indicators must improve and there are few empirical studies on critical success factors for Sustainable Lean Six Sigma. This study also identified gaps in Sustainable Lean Six Sigma frameworks and gives directions for future research.