Road-mapping the business potential of sustainability within the European manufacturing industry

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to explore the required changes, outline business potential and envisage the key steps that a networked manufacturing industry needs to take to reach more sustainably performing manufacturing in the future. Design/methodology/approach -The paper utilises a visionary road-mapping approach to study the required changes and the business potential related to sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. Findings -The results were summarised in three sub-roadmaps empowerment of stakeholders, increase efficiency and creation of new performance criteria. On the basis of the summary of the sub-roadmaps, the framework was configured to describe the opportunities and challenges of sustainable business development in the European manufacturing industry.Research limitations/implications -A clear implication of this study is that a more system-oriented approach, new models for collaboration between network actors and transparently shared network-level KPIs are required before further steps towards a sustainable manufacturing industry can be taken. In addition, sustainability-driven business models are required to specify these changes concretely. Practical implications -The presented sub-roadmaps and framework summarising them could provide new insights to business practitioners exploring business potential of sustainability. Social implications -Understanding about the road-mapping process as tool that enables interaction and envisioning between different stakeholders could also have social implications supporting shared industry-level learning processes. Originality/value -Studies of sustainability within the manufacturing industry have focused mainly on green issues in supply-chain management or corporation-level governance models and reporting practices. The paper presents a broader view of sustainable development and recognises networked business as part of the solution.

Development of a Model Linking Physical Asset Management to Sustainability Performance: An Empirical Research

“…The reason for this lies in the fact that there exists a strong link between effective deployment of PAM and long-term sustainability-from the economic, environmental, and social point of view [3]. In support of this statement, it was evidenced in the literature (e.g., Valkokari et al [8]; Lucato et al [9]) that manufacturing has an enormous impact on all aspects of sustainable development.…”

A Framework for Sustainable Circular Business Model Innovation

“…The change towards sustainable and circular business model innovation should integrate elements from macro (global trends and drivers), meso (ecosystem and value co-creation) and micro (company, customers, and consumers) levels (Valkokari et al, 2014). Trends and drivers include the analysis of the business environment and scanning current trends.…”

“…The archetypes are: maximize material and energy efficiency; create value from waste; substitute with renewables and natural processes; deliver functionality rather than ownership; adopt a stewardship role; encourage sufficiency; re-purpose the business for society/environment; and develop scaleup solutions (Bocken et al, 2014). Engagement with end customers and stakeholders (Stubbs & Cocklin, 2008), such as collaborating with local non-governmental organizations to improve integration into the community and understanding of the local culture, is highlighted in order to understand how sustainable business models create value for a broader set of stakeholders (Valkokari et al, 2014).…”

Introducing Sustainability in Value Models to Support Design Decision Making: A Systematic Review

“…The creation of new measurement criteria and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is listed by Valkokari et al [110] as one of the three critical changes required to move towards a more sustainable European manufacturing industry (together with empowerment of stakeholders and increased efficiency at network level). Literature further refer to two main challenges when it comes to measure sustainability from an enterprise point of view.…”