Green–lean supply chain management (GLSCM) refers to strategically adopting and coordinating environmentally sustainable practices and lean concepts in supply chain operations.
1. Introduction
Supply chain management should incorporate green and lean principles since it connects operational effectiveness with environmental sustainability. This connection allows businesses to streamline operations, reduce their environmental impact, and decrease waste. Organizations can increase resource efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and improve sustainability by implementing environmentally friendly practices throughout the supply chain. Green–lean management, a new economic and environmental efficiency guideline, is an effective approach
[1]. The present environmental situation emboldens manufacturing to minimize its harmful effect on the environment
[2]. Based on this, the author made the case that management and production should be pushed to work toward reducing harmful environmental effects while upholding lean techniques. One of the most difficult problems in management research is combining supply chain operations with green and lean business concepts
[3].
The application of green and lean strongly impacts supply chain management since it helps determine which processes are effective and which require some tweaking. Lean tools and environmental protection are powerful components for continuous development
[4][5]. According to ref.
[6], customer demand for eco-friendly products and services is increasing. Most industries want to make processes more efficient through sustainable initiatives because they must comply with environmental regulations while also meeting the demands of customers and other interested parties
[7]. Lean management is a great technique for improving the quality of a product as well as reducing the cost of production
[8][9]. Therefore, researchers are trying to understand the impact of the lean transformation of an industry during the last three decades
[10]. Lean activities can be integrated at all levels of supply chain management. As a result, all supply chain activities will be optimized, which will make the supply chain effective. Such management will improve the quality of a product, reduce production costs, and make the supply chain more flexible
[11]. Lean tools can integrate a supply chain’s customers and external providers. Furthermore, lean production is the best strategy for maintaining the minimum amount of in-process inventory and finished product. In addition, a firm’s operational performance can be improved using lean practices
[12]. Therefore, many industries worldwide are trying to implement this strategy to improve their business performance
[13]. Incorporating sustainable or environmental issues in business practices is essential to survive in a competitive market. In order to reduce the adverse effect on the environment, the impact of products or services needs to be measured in terms of pollution generated
[14]. A “green” image can be spread globally by integrating the traditional supply chain with the environmental aspect. Green practices in the supply chain play an essential role in maintaining or retaining a competitive image and improving positive economic and environmental performance
[15].
Green manufacturing advances by forcing the manufacturing process and technology to pollute rather than be used to reduce the negative environmental impact
[2]. A green supply chain is designed to benefit from long-term competitiveness in all aspects
[16]. Another study demonstrated that the green supply chain is still in its infancy, particularly in Bangladesh’s textile sector
[17]. Economic, environmental, and social factors must be considered when determining whether something is sustainable
[18]. The implementation of the green–lean strategy is seen more in developed countries than in developing economies
[2]. The insufficiency of metrics and assessments is a typical challenge or hurdle in implementing a green–lean supply chain strategy
[19]. A fuzzy linguistic model illustrates and manages flexible information
[20]. To address the interdependence of a group of attributes, DEMATEL is employed
[21].
2. Prioritization of Green Lean Supply Chain Management Factors
GLSCM is a strategy that blends the ideas of lean and green practices to build an environmentally responsible and sustainable supply chain. In order to eliminate waste, reduce carbon footprint, and improve overall efficiency and sustainability throughout the entire supply chain, GLSCM integrates lean methodologies with environmentally friendly behaviors. To accomplish ecologically sound supply chain operations, GLSCM also emphasizes eliminating non-value-adding processes, improving resource consumption, encouraging eco-friendly practices, and assuring social responsibility
[22][23][24]. In another study, both internal and external influences drive supply chain lean and green techniques. It further asserts that for the supply chain to implement the green lean concept, it is important to fully comprehend the differences between green and lean implementation strategies. Finally, creating a lean environment serves as a catalyst for successful green implementation. Nowadays, keeping a green image, ecological balance and environmental sustainability in mind is a key concern for the researcher
[25][26][27].
Analyzing the barriers to lean encourages analyzing the interrelationship between performance measures of lean and green implementation in the supply chain. Sustainability in the supply chain is one approach to achieving long-term benefits through the integration of environmental and economic factors
[28][29]. Chakraborty et al. (2023) conducted a study on internal factors of green supply chain management (GSCM) and proposed a theoretical model based on driving and dependence power. The authors utilized interpretative structural modeling (ISM) to incorporate industry experience into the evaluation process. Eight internally manageable factors were identified, with top management commitment being the most influential
[30]. According to
[31], to optimize the entire performance of a supply chain via green practices, the performance factors should be studied, and their interactions should be recognized and understood. The DEMATEL method, which makes this possible, is a path for successfully improving performance. The DEMATEL method is suggested as a means to achieve this, as it enables the evaluation of factors and the identification of causal relationships
[32]. Caldera et al.
[33] highlighted the need for research on how lean practices can contribute to environmental outcomes and promote sustainability in business processes. They emphasized the importance of integrating lean and green approaches to improve business performance
[33][34]. The DEMATEL method is recommended for evaluating factors and understanding their causal relationships in the supply chain. The fuzzy DEMATEL method is useful in decision-making under uncertainty, especially for maintaining supply chain sustainability. Additionally, it allows for evaluating interdependencies and impacts among variables, representing the intricate relationships inside the green lean supply chain. Moreover, fuzzy DEMATEL offers a comprehensive evaluation framework that considers the factors’ direct and indirect effects, identifying key drivers and facilitating effective decision-making for enhancing supply chain performance
[34][35][36]. The fuzzy DEMATEL technique combines fuzzy set theory and DEMATEL to examine factor interdependencies. Fuzzy set theory manages uncertainty by giving linguistic concepts membership degrees, whereas DEMATEL looks at interactions between components. Fuzzy DEMATEL considers direct and indirect impacts to capture complex supply chain management dynamics. It uses fuzzy set theory to resolve data uncertainty and imprecision, allowing for accurate factor importance assessment
[36][37].
The relationship between green and lean Is shown to address how they are related to performance factors and how they are related to the idiosyncratic system. Collaboration reduces the cost of partnering with one another and allows for faster customer service
[38]. The balance between efficiency gained and eco-friendliness in operation can be achieved by installing green and lean initiatives simultaneously. Six streams of research can be carried out on the green and lean approach, namely: the compatibility of lean and green, their integration with other paradigms, their application in industry, indicators to measure their performance in an organization, and their impact on the performance of an organization
[39]. According to refs.
[40][41], very little research has been done on environmental sustainability in developing countries. As a result, they identify a research need for implementing green and lean processes in supply chains using performance metrics and resulting in supply chain improvement. One study mentioned that a company could implement green, lean, and global practices simultaneously. An integrated approach to environmental sustainability and increasing productivity is highly required for every industry because competition worldwide focuses on a company’s green image. Moreover, combining lean and environmental sustainability allows for more efficient resource utilization
[22][42].
Today’s economic outlook is highly competitive, and companies in different sectors must take various measures to survive. Overall, creating an image of green and lean practices provides a globally positive impression that helps to improve environmental and operational performance simultaneously. Based on the research gap, this manifests a demand for assessing green lean supply chain management performance.
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su151310523