Sustainable Production Planning: Insights Into Factors, Models, and Solution Methods

ABSTRACT Effective resource management remains a major challenge for organizations seeking to balance economic efficiency with environmental and social responsibility. In this context, production planning becomes a strategic mechanism for integrating sustainability into industrial operations. This research addresses the important existing gap on production planning where the dimensions of sustainability are not yet being fully considered. Its objective is to identify the interrelation of sustainability with production planning, proposing mechanisms to incorporate it efficiently. Based on a systematic literature review, the research examines: (i) the dimensions and specific factors of sustainability that most influence the formulation of production plans; (ii) the types of planning at the tactical level that work properly considering sustainable principles; and (iii) the models and solution methods adopted to support planning decisions. The results show a growing tendency to incorporate sustainability into production planning, with research that addresses the economic and environmental dimensions together predominating, while the social dimension remains insufficiently addressed. Aggregate production planning (APP) is the planning approach that most effectively incorporates sustainability dimensions by optimizing the use of organizational resources. Multi‐objective models are the most studied, promoting balanced solutions to contradictory criteria. Regarding solution methods, metaheuristics predominate due to their flexibility and ability to address complex problems. Furthermore, the limited integration among production planning models, solution methods, and sustainability dimensions remains a significant gap in the literature. This study represents a valuable tool for organizations to incorporate knowledge about economic, environmental, and social practices into their planning processes, so that sustainability is enhanced.