Beyond Green washing: Profit with Purpose Measuring sustainable textile manufacturing for business excellence

This paper examines the implementation of Lean manufacturing (LM) in the textile/garment manufacturing industry of Pakistan, a developing country in the global south, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and financial performance. Data was collected from the garment production floor supervisors, and a current state map was created, identifying non-value-added activities and waste sources. The respondents were the actual process owners of production and stitching departments of different textile/garment manufacturing factories. The paper provides a blueprint for the textile/garment manufacturing process and presents the outcomes of applying Lean manufacturing. Comparing the current and future state maps, the study demonstrates that fully adopting Lean principles with the proper support of higher management levels can significantly benefit the textile/garment industry by reducing excessive production and waste in Pakistan, a developing country. Hence, there are actual production practices beyond greenwashing. LM is crucial for improving competitive performance in the current market landscape, enabling them to become key players in achieving sustainable practices. These practices assist in achieving SDG 07, 08, 09, 12, 13, 16. This research highlights the financial benefits of adopting LM. It shows that Lean principles can help remove the greenwashing label and allow industries to sustain and expand their production edge through continuous employee development.