Impact of Lean tools and green practices on environmental performance in Spanish manufacturing companies

Abstract

Purpose: This study analyses the impact of lean tools on environmental performance and examines whether combining them with green practices can generate positive synergies.

Design/methodology/approach: Using data collected in the 2022 European Manufacturing Survey of Spanish manufacturing companies, a correlation analysis between lean tools and green practices was carried out on the 86 companies surveyed. Furthermore, a Stepwise multiple linear regression was performed between the aggregated Lean and Green independent variables and the dependent variable environmental performance.

Findings: Findings of our study show that green practices, unlike lean tools, are not yet sufficiently developed in manufacturing industries to be meaningful in terms of environmental performance. In the proposed regression model, the aggregate variable Lean was found to have a significant relationship with environmental performance. The Green variable, however, was excluded from the model as it was not significant.

Research limitations/implications: Spanish companies should continue to work on the adoption of green practices in order to benefit in the future from the synergies between these practices and lean tools, as the literature has shown. Findings will be useful for managers in the manufacturing firms to make best strategic decisions. The current study is limited by the relatively small sample size.

Originality/value: To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of lean tools and green practices on environmental performance in Spanish industry.