Learning on Lean Production: A Review of Opinion and Research within Environmental Constraints

Despite of its type, location or principal market base, today the manufacturing enterprises are bound to adopt sustainable practices like lean principles, integration of processes and inter-organizational collaborations to meet their corporate goals. The majority of studies usually discuss either a system or a subcomponent of the production systems and manufacturing strategies in literature w.r.t. lean production; but the rational (what, why, how) behind each production activity seems to be missing. This paper addresses a comprehensive assessment of the literature on lean production in relation to the green concept, for its significance, feasibility and need for organizations to sustain in the global market. Findings of the review reveal that lean principles along with green model can improve the process flow & employee morale and lower the environmental regulatory non-compliance risk. Further, the environmental and human health risks are often not explicitly considered in lean initiatives that can affect customers & stakeholders throughout the product life cycle, and the manufacturing enterprises working with lean strategies have the possibility of costs sub-optimization and waste reduction from a lifecycle viewpoint.