The Application of Lean Methods in Corporate Sustainability—A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This paper reviews the application of lean methods for corporate sustainability and highlights demands for future research. With the help of a systematic literature review, papers at the interface of lean and sustainability were identified and matched to a standardized list of lean methods to assess their frequency in the context of sustainability. In a further step, papers containing actual case studies were analyzed in more detail regarding specific application settings, sustainability dimensions, measurability of sustainability impact, and other criteria. The quantitative analysis of 363 publications shows frequent use of lean methods such as just in time and value stream mapping in the context of sustainability, and a surprisingly low use of other approaches such as karakuri, milk run, or chaku chaku. The in-depth analysis of 81 case studies reveals the primacy of intra-company and ecological assessments in the lean context, while social and inter-company aspects remain rather underexposed. This study complements existing research on lean and sustainability by systematically analyzing specific lean methods in the context of sustainability and by further exploring the sustainability characteristics of such lean applications.

New and Renewed Manufacturing Paradigms for Sustainable Production

“…Using a systematic literature review, Bertagnolli [25] complements existing research on lean manufacturing and sustainability by analyzing specific lean methods used in the context of sustainability and further exploring the sustainability characteristics of such lean applications. From an in-depth analysis of 81 case studies, the authors reveal the primacy of intra-company and ecological assessments in the lean context, while social and inter-company aspects also remain underexposed.…”

Identifying critical challenges to lean construction adoption

“…Researchers claim that the implementation of LC management can revolutionize the construction industry (Ballard et al , 2020; Karaz et al , 2021). The most notable outcomes of LC implementation are cost savings (Awad et al , 2021), profitability (Bayhan et al , 2021), productivity (Hamzeh et al , 2021; Awad et al , 2021), project duration (Orlov and Kankhva, 2021), project quality (Xing et al , 2021), safety (Abu Aisheh et al , 2021), sustainability (Bertagnolli et al , 2021), information sharing and collaboration among participants (Ong and Pheng, 2021), inventory management (Zahraee et al , 2021), job satisfaction (Al Balkhy et al , 2021) and project scheduling and predictability (Sbiti et al , 2021).…”