Circular economy to ensure production operational sustainability: A green-lean approach

Satisfying the requirements associated with environmental concerns and resource efficiency in the man-ufacturing process has become necessary to realize effective production management. Specifically, man-ufacturers must identify novel working procedures or methodologies to enhance the resource efficiency and environmental friendliness of production processes. Green-lean production and a circular economy are promising schemes to achieve this goal. However, compared to green-lean management, the imple-mentation of a circular economy in production operations remains relatively unclear. Several scholars have recommended the combination of the circular economy and green-lean concepts to bridge this gap, however, systematic methods remain to be developed. Considering this aspect, this study proposes a method that integrates green-lean solutions with the circular economy concept. The proposed method is applied in production operations through the principle of continuous improvement to enhance the environmental and resource performance aspects. The method includes three successive phases, which can not only help managers fully identify the opportunities for improvement but also provide managers with directions for improvement by introducing four strategy quadrants. The effectiveness and practica-bility of the proposed method are proven considering an industrial case of the assembly workshop of an automobile company. The proposed study can support enhance theoretical knowledge regarding the green-lean and circular economy concepts and demonstrates the implementation of a circular economy in the process of optimizing the production operation of manufacturing enterprises.(c) 2021 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Integrating green-lean solutions with the concept of circular economy in production operations has been proposed to enhance environmental and resource performance. This study presents a method that incorporates green-lean principles and circular economy concepts in three phases, providing managers with opportunities for improvement and directions for enhancement. The effectiveness and practicality of this method are demonstrated through a case study in an automobile assembly workshop. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of green-lean and circular economy concepts and showcases the implementation of a circular economy in manufacturing enterprises.