Lean, green practices and process innovation: A model for green supply chain performance

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between lean, process innovation, green practices and green supply chain management performance. Data were gathered by surveying 374 firms in the manufacturing supply chain industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the collected data. The study results show general support for the theoretical research framework. Findings reveal that there is a synergetic effect between process innovations, green and lean practices playing a crucial role towards the improvement of green supply chain performance. This paper presents an innovative approach since it studies simultaneously the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), the lean, the innovation process and green paradigms which are considered strategic for supply chain competitiveness. Investigation of the relationships between the four strategies is a contribution that the authors hope will become a forward step in the promotion of sustainability as a third dimension of the manufacturing supply chain, along with the efficiency and responsiveness dimensions.

Bundling or Unbundling? Pricing Strategy for Complementary Products in a Green Supply Chain

“…In order to improve ecological benefits, the concept of green supply chain management has recently emerged, and this approach integrates environmental issues into the common supply chain activities [3], so as to mitigate the damage to the environment in the process of transforming raw materials into final products. Subsequently, the lean process, innovation and the green paradigms are gradually considered as policies for strengthening the competitiveness of supply chains [4].…”

Does the configuration of macro‐ and micro‐institutional environments affect the effectiveness of green supply chain integration?

“…We developed new scales for the macro‐ and micro‐institutional environments. First, we carefully defined each construct and generated preliminary measures according to the studies related to institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, ; Drake et al, ; Luo et al, ; Sarkis et al, 2011; Zhu et al, ) and green supply chain management (Cherrafi et al, ; Dai et al, ; Gadenne et al, ; Sundram et al, ). Second, we polished our definitions and items by consulting with two supply chain managers and four scholars in green supply chain management.…”

“…In response to increasingly strict environmental regulations, supply chain partners should collaborate with each other to meet environmental requirements (Chen et al, ; Dubey, Gunasekaran, & Ali, ; Feng, Huang, & Avgerinos, ) to ultimately achieve sustainable improvement in performance (Cherrafi et al, ; Tachizawa, Gimenez, & Sierra, ). To gain more benefit from green supply chain collaboration, the focal firm must effectively and efficiently manage its internal and external processes via building an inter‐organizational team, sharing information, and solving environmental problems jointly, which together signify GSCI (Wu, ).…”

“…Executives' environmental awareness is typically categorized into two key dimensions: risk and benefit. Environmental risks may stem from negative environmental impacts, environmental awareness of customers, environmental regulations, and rivals (Cherrafi et al, ; Drake, Kleindorfer, & Van Wassenhove, ; Peng & Liu, ). This study measures it by assessing whether executives take the negative environmental impacts seriously (Qu, Liu, Nayak, & Li, ), attach great importance to customers' attitudes (Dibrell, Craig, & Hansen, ), are very clear of the influence of environmental regulations (Gadenne et al, ), and are very clear of the “best green practice” in their industry (Gadenne et al, ; Qu et al, ).…”

Who Drives Green Innovation? A Game Theoretical Analysis of a Closed-Loop Supply Chain under Different Power Structures

“…For example, as consumer awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development increases, products with green or ecological labels may become more popular in the market, and the profitability of supply chains may increase [8]. In this context, the concept of green innovation has emerged as a major aspect of sustainable supply chains, with green innovation activities supporting firms in their efforts to become more competitive and engage in sustainable practices in an ever more volatile and highly demanding market [9]. Manufacturers and retailers are willing to improve the degree of the greenness of supply chains through a variety of green innovation activities, such as using clean energy during manufacturing processes, remanufacturing used (or end-of-life) products, developing new technologies to reduce carbon emissions and pollutants, developing new green and sustainable products, and developing new green retailing and marketing techniques.…”