Sustainable Operations Strategy in the Age of Climate Change: Integrating Green Lean Practices into Operational Excellence

This conceptual paper introduces the Green Lean Operational Excellence (GLOE) framework to address the limitations of conventional lean systems in responding to sustainability and resilience challenges. Rooted in sustainability science and operations management, the model reconceptualizes operational excellence by integrating green imperatives—such as environmental accountability, adaptability, and systemic feedback—into lean methodologies. Rather than focusing solely on cost-efficiency, lean practices have also been recognized for enhancing quality, process stability, and organizational flexibility (e.g., Womack & Jones, 1996), which makes them valuable foundations for sustainability integration. The framework was developed through an interdisciplinary synthesis of the literature on lean operations, green supply chains, and adaptive organizational systems. It proposes a structured flow from strategic preconditions to hybrid mechanisms and sustainability-linked outcomes, supported by continuous refinement loops. Key propositions are offered for empirical testing. GLOE redefines excellence beyond traditional cost-driven paradigms, extending lean theory toward strategic sustainability, and bridging gaps between operational practice and sustainability science. It also provides a roadmap for future research, emphasizing empirical validation, indicator development, and digital integration. The model offers practical guidance for managers to move beyond siloed CSR programs and embed sustainability into the core of operational strategy. Ultimately, GLOE positions operations as active contributors to organizational resilience and long-term value in an era of climate disruption and socio-ecological complexity.