Lean manufacturing and environmental performance: a meta-analytic approach

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between lean manufacturing and corporate environmental performance. Scholarly literature has extensively addressed the relationship between those two areas but empirical papers present mixed and inconsistent results, calling for further analysis to establish a clearer understanding of the actual relationship and to identify the causes of conflicting findings across studies. Given the importance of sustainable practices in the current business landscape, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of this relationship through a meta-analysis of previous research, with a focus on integrating quantitative findings to shed light on the potential impact of lean manufacturing on environmental performance and report its intensity with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes the data from 29 primary studies published between 2001 and 2022 that have empirically measured the relationship between lean manufacturing and corporate environmental performance and that have been identified in the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases through an exhaustive review of the literature. To integrate previous empirical results and evaluate the evidence for the lean manufacturing’s influence on environmental performance, a meta-analytic methodology was adopted through the Hedges–Olkin random effect approach, based on correlations. Findings Main findings support the notion that a significant, positive, rather moderated, relationship exists between lean manufacturing and environmental performance, with an overall correlation coefficient r¯ = 0.25. The result seems robust, as several tests confirm that publication bias is unlikely. Overall, various lean practices are correlated to varying degrees with different measures of environmental performance. The environmental efficiency of external lean practices is higher than that observed for internal practices and quality management has a more pronounced effect than other internal lean practices. The 2008 global crisis did not change these relationships and the impact of lean manufacturing on environmental performance does not seem to be moderated by the degree of environmental awareness of the country where applied. Research limitations/implications The results conclude that a significant, positive relationship exists between lean manufacturing and environmental performance (r¯ = 0.25). This study tests certain factors that exhibit varying effect sizes and moderate the overall outcome, highlighting that the environmental efficiency of external lean practices is higher than that observed for internal practices. In addition, it suggests a more pronounced effect of quality management among other internal lean practices. Practical implications This study provides companies with an opportunity to align their operational strategies with environmental sustainability goals. Understanding that various lean practices exhibit diverse levels of correlation with multiple measures of environmental performance, decision-makers can prioritize their efforts and apply the lean practices that have a stronger effect on the desired environmental outcomes to improve their environmental impact. Conversely, managers are aware that certain lean practices have a week relationship with some environmental performance so they can avoid overestimating environmental benefits of lean manufacturing. Finally, results underscore the importance of organizational commitment to environmental sustainability. Originality/value It is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first meta-analytic study to investigate the strength of the association between lean manufacturing and environmental performance and to test whether various lean practices are correlated to different measures of environmental performance. It fills this gap in the literature and therefore it represents a valuable contribution to the field. In addition, this paper explores certain factors that moderate the overall outcome.