Measuring the Effects of Lean and Green Manufacturing Practices on the Triple Bottom Line

The need to take action toward sustainability is more important than ever, for environmental, economic, and societal reasons. There is demand for management models, such as Lean and Green Tools, that improve sustainable performance. The literature reveals that many Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) give insights about corresponding dimensions of sustainability. The main shortcomings are that many require a deep knowledge of material compositions, are not widely applicable, or measure effects over a very long period. This paper selected suitable key performance indicators for measuring the effects of implementing lean and green manufacturing principles in the respective sustainability dimensions. A case study revealed that the KPI Throughput is a valid method for the economic pillar. Also, the social KPIs of occupational safety, ergonomics, and workers satisfaction measured the effects of implementing Lean and Green practices in the social dimension. On the other hand, the environmental KPI amount of rejected parts showed limitations in a real-world setting because measured changes could not clearly be associated with the changes in the observed production system. Based on the gained knowledge, a model that identified Lean and Green Tools which positively impact the triple bottom line was applied and assessed.