Value stream mapping for sustainability: A management tool proposal for more sustainable companies

Abstract

Few manufacturing companies consider sustainability aspects in their strategic planning. An alternative to overcoming this operational barrier is to integrate sustainability aspects into widely used management tools, with Value Stream Mapping (VSM) playing a prominent role. While the scientific literature offers attempts to incorporate sustainability aspects into VSM, most fail to comprehensively consider economic, social, and environmental capitals in an integrated manner. Furthermore, they often lack an epistemologically grounded conceptual model of sustainability. This study aims to propose the Value Stream Mapping for Sustainability (VSM4S), a model that combines the advantages of traditional VSM with the inclusion of sustainability aspects rooted in the concepts of the Five Sectors Sustainability Model (5SEnSU) and its related indicator named the Sustainability Synthetic Indicator of System (SSIS). As a result, all procedures for applying the VSM4S are presented in detail, making them replicable in any company. The VSM4S provides the SSIS for the company's planned future scenario under different strategic goals, as well as the cost-benefit ratio (B/C) and full-time equivalent (FTE) indicators. These three indicators are graphically represented in a cube-figure to facilitate the overall interpretation of different scenarios and to support more effective decision-making regarding which scenario should be implemented. While the operational applicability of VSM4S merits further attention, it effectively integrates sustainability aspects into a company's strategic planning, thereby promoting greater sustainability within and beyond the company's boundaries.