Designing a lean and green framework for GHG reduction in the South African manufacturing industry

Abstract

Lean and Green is an emergent field of research focused on promoting operational efficiency and environmental performance. One of the environmental measures within this paradigm, is greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) - an ever-present threat to society. The aim of this study is to design and evaluate a literature-based Lean and Green framework for GHG reduction in the South African manufacturing industry. Surveys were distributed to Subject Matter Experts to test and design a refined Lean and Green framework for GHG reduction. By incorporating Design Science Research, various design elements and themes belonging to the framework were evaluated. Participants voiced the relevance and potential for GHG reduction, but also provided additional elements from the literature-based framework obtained from a Systematic Literature Analysis and Applied Thematic Analysis. The refined framework from this study allows future researchers to develop GHG methodologies by means of Lean and Green.