Lean production has emerged in the past decades as one of the most popular themes in the business and manufacturing literature as it is the most extended production paradigm currently applied in industry. The lean approach is characterized by five principles (value, mapping the value stream, flow, pull and continuous improvement) that facilitate the reduction of waste (muda). In parallel, the environmental performance of a company in terms of pollution prevention, reduction and use/waste of resources is an issue increasingly concerning companies and customers in recent years. The focus on these issues has spurred an area of research that is commonly known as green production. Lean and green production concepts are both focused on waste reduction, and several authors have studied their relationships (commonalities and divergences) and the synergic effects of integrating these two management approaches. This research conducts a literature review in order to: (1) identify if firms which have applied lean principles and methods have improved their environmental measures; (2) highlight the environmental measures that are positively affected by lean practices adoption; and finally (3) underline the most important lean practices in relation to impacting environmental performance. The results are condensed in a final matrix that links some key lean practices to specific environmental measures. This matrix is of great interest for both researchers and practitioners since it suggests some possible relationships between various lean practices and the improvement of specific green performances. The findings give light regarding the state-ofthe-art relationships between the lean and green production approaches.

Previous evidence suggests that both lean and green production paradigms are focused on waste reduction and that lean practices help organizations to enhance sustainability objectives, and particularly environmental performance. However, the impact of lean practices on the environment is still unclear. This study therefore aims to analyse the relationship between lean and environmental performance in manufacturing with a strong empirical focus. This research was conducted in two main stages: first, an extensive review of the relevant literature was carried out, followed by a multiple case study analysis conducted in five manufacturing companies. Onsite data were collected from the firms during a five years' time span of research and developing semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, a cross-case analysis was carried out to map the results. Findings indicate that the environmental performance of the companies analysed is generally enhanced in the long-term after the implementation of lean. Moreover, the results from the multiple case study suggest that the environmental performance of the firms under analysis is mainly improved by using JIT and TQM practices in a lean transformation context. The research findings provide further results remarking the possible negative impact of practices such as Kanban deliveries, 5S and TPM on various environmental performance indicators.

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PurposeThe lean philosophy has demonstrated its effectiveness to improve firms' operational performance. However, the impact of lean practices on financial performance is still unclear due to the poor understanding of the link between operational and financial measures and the conflictive results obtained by previous research. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review to understand whether lean companies have improved their financial performance. Moreover, this article aims to uncover research gaps in the literature and examine which time spans of research have been considered to analyse both the degree of lean implementation and the measurement of financial outcomes.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review has been conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles that analyse the effect of the lean production paradigm on the financial performance measures of manufacturing companies. Then, the identified articles were processed using a combination of descriptive and content analyses methods to draw new conclusions, uncover gaps and find novel paths for research.FindingsVarious authors indicate that lean initiatives lead to an enhancement of financial performance measures. JIT and TQM lean practice bundles are suggested as the best enablers of financial performance in terms of sales and profit. In contrast, according to some scholars, lean does not necessarily improve companies' financial results if it is not properly implemented.Originality/valueSeveral studies have focused on analysing the effects of lean on performance. However, only a small part of the literature has addressed the study of the effects of lean practices on financial performance metrics. The originality of this study lies in the investigation of the connections between lean practices and financial performance measures found in the literature. The outcome is the identification of various possible positive impacts of some lean practices on financial metrics.

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PurposeThis paper seeks to shed light on the resources and capabilities required by SMEs to successfully implement Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and to explore how these resources and capabilities can be acquired and/or developed.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed an exploratory multiple case study approach to analyze five Portuguese SMEs that have implemented I4.0 technologies. Data were primarily collected through direct semi-structured interviews with managers from different departments and areas. Moreover, a technology, organization and environment (TOE) framework approach was adopted to analyze the resources and capabilities needed for I4.0 implementation in SMEs.FindingsResearch findings suggest that the analyzed Portuguese SMEs did not require all the considered I4.0 resources and capabilities. Therefore, results may support practitioners to recognize and prioritize the resources and capabilities needed to successfully embrace all the benefits of I4.0. In this regard, SMEs can develop these resources and capabilities needed both internally (e.g. through the process and product innovation focused on digital technologies, human resource management practices and top management commitment) and externally (e.g. hiring skilled employees and through innovative collaboration networks).Originality/valueUsing the TOE framework, this study shows how SMEs could acquire and develop their resources and capabilities to accelerate I4.0 implementation and maximize its benefits.

Abstract-This work studies the two Reverse Logistics models used in European countries for collection of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), compares their advantages and disadvantages and proposes a framework that helps the decision making process. The paper is articulated as follows. First, a literature review has been carried out regarding the two systems of WEEE Collection in the European Union: i.e. National Collective Scheme and Clearing House Model. Second, an integrated framework is proposed for managing Reverse Logistics in the disposal of electrical and electronic products and their components at the end of their lifetime. The proposed model may help in the decision making process of which collection system better fits the specific characteristics of a country. I. INTRODUCTIONIn the last two decades, the problem related to pollution and environmental management, gained much importance. The concept of sustainable development, defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" [1] has become increasingly recurrent.In this scenario, there is an increasing importance of the so-called reverse logistics understood as the collection of resources and activities dedicated to the recovery and recycling of end-of-life products discarded by users [2], [3]. These considerations are particularly important when referring to the production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors [4], in which technological innovation and market expansion continue to speed up the replacement process and the number of new applications of EEE.In order to address environmental problems related to the management of WEEE, starting from the '80/'90 some EU Member States began to develop specific national legislations. Based on these considerations, the European Directive 2002/96/CE entered into force on January 27 2003 [5], [6]. This directive was aimed to prevent and limit the flow of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and their components to landfill through reuse and recycling policies [7]. This Directive was revised with the publication of the Directive 2012/19/EU (entered into force on August 13, 2012) because of the increasing of this waste. To appropriately manage the environmental problems associated with the recovery of WEEE in Europe, Directive 2012/19/EU imposes a separate collection of WEEE which must be guaranteed by appropriate systems so that users can easily discard their electrical and electronic equipments.In this regard, the directive leaves to the producers the freedom to choose whether to fulfil their responsibility by implementing their own individual recovery system or participating in collective collection schemes or shared systems with other companies which are associated in order to reap the benefits of economies of scale. In the vast majority of European countries the most widespread collection system is of the second type.Collective schemes ...

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