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Despite differing strategies towards environmental sustainability in developed and developing nations, the manufacturing sector in these regional domains faces substantial environmental issues. The purpose of this study is to examine the green-lean-six sigma (GLSS) enablers and outcomes for enhancing environmental sustainability of manufacturing firms in both, a developed and developing country context by using an environment-centric natural resource-based view (NRBV).

First, a framework of GLSS enablers and outcomes aligned with the NRBV strategic capabilities is proposed through a systematic literature review. Second, this framework is used to empirically investigate the GLSS enablers and outcomes of manufacturing firms through in-depth interviews with lean six sigma and environmental consultants from New Zealand (NZ) and Pakistan (PK) (developed and developing nations).

Analysis from both regional domains highlights the use of GLSS enablers and outcomes under different NRBV capabilities of pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development. A comparison reveals that NZ firms practice GLSS to comply with environmental regulatory requirements, avoid penalties and maintain their clean-green image. Conversely, Pakistani firms execute GLSS to reduce energy use, satisfy international customers and create a green image.

This paper provides new insights on GLSS for environmental sustainability which can assist industrial experts and academia for future strategies and research.

This is one of the early comparative studies that has used the NRBV to investigate GLSS enablers and outcomes in manufacturing firms for enhancing environmental performance comparing developed and developing nations

Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) is a comprehensive approach that aims to reduce waste, emissions and non-value added activities, thus mark an effective impact on sustainability of firms. Despite the numerous benefits of GLSS implementation, it is evident that Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are still struggling to understand, integrate and implement this strategy. This research work provides a comprehensive analysis of GLSS within MSMEs and proposes a conceptual integration framework of GLSS for improving economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability MSMEs.

A systematic literature review (SLR) methodology was planned to assess and analyse the research articles from 2007 to 2022. Different key elements of GLSS such as barriers, enablers and tool sets have been thoroughly reviewed and analysed for MSME organisations to understand their behaviour and effectively adopt the GLSS approach in their operations.

This study provides the analysis of different perspectives of GLSS and this will contribute to improve different metrics related to emissions and quality in MSMEs. It provides MSMEs industrial managers with a comprehensive knowledge base of GLSS elements, enabling effective deployment.

The present study provides a significant knowledge base and know-how of GLSS to researchers that will assist in deploying this sustainable approach in different industrial domains. The study also assists industrial managers by providing a systematic framework of GLSS for MSMEs. Further, the study also supports society by proving pathway to improve the environmental dynamics through the execution GLSS.

The study is of the first kind that review different facets of GLSS related to MSME. The study not only enhances theoretical know how of GLSS but also guides practitioners how to implement comprehensive GLSS program for improved environmental sustainability.

This research aims to propose a framework to integrate Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) and Industry 4.0 to improve organizational sustainability.

The integration of GLSS and Industry 4.0 is proposed based on theoretical facets of the individual approaches. A generic, conceptual framework of an integrated GLSS-Industry 4.0 approach is then proposed using the application of different tools and techniques of GLSS and Industry 4.0 at different stages of the realization of a project.

Both approaches have common facets related to enablers and barriers, and the integrated application of tools and techniques of each approach supplements the common focus of both related to sustainability enhancement. The proposed, conceptual framework provides systematic guidelines from the project selection stage to the sustainment of the solution, with the enumerated application of different techniques and tools at each step of the framework.

This research is the first of its kind to propose the integration of GLSS and Industry 4.0 under the umbrella of a unified approach, including a conceptual framework of this integrated GLSS-Industry 4.0 approach.

The main purpose of this study is to explore different aspects of the Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) approach, application status and potential benefits from a comprehensive review of the literature and provide an avenue for future research work. This study also provides a conceptual framework for GLSS.

To do a systematic analysis of the literature, a systematic literature review methodology has been used in this research work. From the reputed databases, 140 articles were identified to explore hidden aspects of GLSS. Exploration of articles in different continents, year-wise, approach-wise and journal-wise was also done to find the execution status of GLSS.

This study depicts that GLSS implementation is increasing year by year, and it leads to considerable improvement in all dimensions of sustainability. Enablers, barriers, tools and potential benefits that foster the execution of GLSS in industrial organizations are also identified based on a systematic review of the literature.

The study’s uniqueness lies in that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind that depicts the execution status of GLSS, and its different facets, explores different available frameworks and provides avenues for potential research in this area for potential researchers and practitioners.

The study aims to identify Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) barriers in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and prioritize them for executing the GLSS approach.

A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to identify a total of 14 barriers, which were then verified for greater relevance by the professional judgments of industrial personnel. Moreover, many removal measures strategies are also recommended in this study. Furthermore, this work also utilizes Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) to prioritize the identified GLSS barriers.

The study reveals that training and education, continuous assessment of SDG, organizational culture, resources and skills to facilitate implementation, and assessment of satisfaction and welfare of the employee are the most significant barriers to implementing this approach.

The present study provides an impetus for practitioners and managers to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers. In this case, the outcomes of this research, and in particular the GRA technique presented by this work, can be used by managers and professionals to rank the GLSS barriers and take appropriate action to eliminate them.

The ranking of GLSS barriers gives top officials of HEIs a very clear view to effectively and efficiently implementing GLSS initiatives. The outcomes also show training and education, sustainable development goals and organizational culture as critical barriers. The findings of this study provide an impetus for managers, policymakers and consultants to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers.

The GLSS barriers in HEIs may significantly affect the society. HEIs can lessen their environmental effect by using GLSS practices, which can support sustainability initiatives and foster social responsibility. Taking steps to reduce environmental effect can benefit society as a whole. GLSS techniques in HEIs can also result in increased operational effectiveness and cost savings, which can free up resources to be employed in other areas, like boosting student services and improving educational programs. However, failing to implement GLSS procedures in HEIs could have societal repercussions as well. As a result, it is critical for HEIs to identify and remove GLSS barriers in order to advance sustainability, social responsibility and operational effectiveness.

GLSS is a comprehensive methodology that facilitates the optimum utilization of resources, reduces waste and provides the pathway for sustainable development so, the novelty of this study stands in the inclusion of its barriers and HEIs to prioritize them for effective implementation.

Green, lean and six sigma (GLSS) practices are widely used and well accepted techniques that have the capability to improve the economic, social and environmental performance of Pakistani small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, implementation of these practices in an integrated approach has not yet been witnessed in Pakistani SMEs due to a variety of challenges. To overcome the implementation challenges, this study has analyzed the impact of GLSS implementation over the sustainability in Pakistani SMEs.

This study consists of two phases. In phase 1, interviews were conducted to scrutinize the elements of GLSS implementation to simplify the model and in phase 2, a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the data from the SMEs. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach is used to analyze the relationships among the latent variables and constructs.

Results showed that, leadership for GLSS, understanding GLSS techniques and technology upgradation are considered the most important elements for GLSS implementation in Pakistani SMEs. The environmental and social perspectives have been given more weightage compared to economical perspective. This inferred that there is a need to focus more on environmental and social perspectives in SMEs as compared to economic perspectives to achieve sustainable growth. Moreover, the results of the hypothesis testing revealed that GLSS implementation has a significant positive impact over the sustainability in SMEs considering the Pakistani scenario (β = 0.529, STDEV = 0.078, t = 6.81, p = < 0.001).

This study is the first of its kind for Pakistani SMEs. The structural model developed in this study for Pakistani SMEs will help practitioners to understand the important elements of GLSS implementation and sustainability dimensions.

The paper aims to analyse the contextual relationship and dependency amongst enablers for lean manufacturing implementation in Bulgarian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In this study, the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique was used to develop a hierarchical structural model for enablers. Also, the interpretive ranking process (IRP) was used to analyse and rank enablers with reference to performance variables. For the ISM approach, a structural self- integration matrix was developed with the help of experts’ suggestions and opinions. Cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis was used to analyse the relationship amongst enablers. A total of nine experts were chosen for collecting the primary data in which seven experts belong to the industry and two experts were academicians. The dominant relationship amongst the enablers was analysed through IRP modelling.

A total of 11 enablers were identified for the purpose of this study. The model shows that “leadership and commitment by management”, “human resource management”, “customer relation management”, “supplier relation management” and “information technology system” are the most significant enablers for lean implementation in Bulgarian SMEs as these are positioned at the bottom levels in ISM model. MICMAC analysis shows that five enablers fall in the independent factor, two enablers in linkage factor and four enablers in the dependant factor while there is no enabler in the autonomous factor. ISM and IRP models show that “continuous improvement” is an essential enabler for the successful implementation of lean in Bulgarian SMEs. This study also helps to explain the comparative analysis of ISM and IRP, which indicates that IRP is a more robust modelling approach than ISM, as it incorporates the relationship of enablers with performance variables.

ISM and IRP modelling approaches are based solely on expert opinions and responses. This limitation can be overcome with the help of empirical study.

This study supports the professionals/experts to prioritise and manage enablers at strategic and tactical levels while implementing lean manufacturing practices in Bulgarian SMEs. The models developed in the study will be helpful for practitioners to understand and analyse the interdependence of enablers for lean manufacturing implementation.

This study helps to identify and prioritise enablers that affect lean manufacturing adoption using ISM and IRP approaches. Literature shows that numerous authors have used the ISM approach but the use of IRP approach is limited. The models were developed in the study, totally dependent on data collected from the experts to ensure their real-life validity.

The purpose of this study is to present the systematic literature review (SLR) on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) by exploring the state of the art on growth of literature on LSS within the manufacturing sector, critical factors to implement LSS, the role of LSS in the manufacturing sector from an implementation and sustainability viewpoint and Industry 4.0 viewpoints while highlighting the research gaps.

An SLR of 2,876 published articles extracted from Scopus, WoS, Emerald Insight, IEEE Xplore, Taylor & Francis, Springer and Inderscience databases was carried out following the protocol of systematic review. In total, 154 articles published in different journals over the past 10 years were selected for quantitative and qualitative analysis which revealed a number of research gaps.

The findings of the SLR revealed the growth of literature on LSS within the manufacturing sector. The review also highlighted the most cited critical success factors, critical failure factors, performance indicators and associated tools and techniques applied during LSS implementation. The review also focused on studies related to LSS and sustainability viewpoint and LSS and Industry 4.0 viewpoints.

The findings of this SLR can help senior managers, practitioners and researchers to understand the current developments and future requirements to adopt LSS in manufacturing sectors from sustainability and Industry 4.0 viewpoints.

Academic publications in the context of the role of LSS in various research streams are sparse, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first SLRs which explore current developments and future requirements to implement LSS from sustainability and Industry 4.0 perspective.

This paper aims to investigate the sources of variation in aluminum profiles hot extrusion process for the purpose of process capability improvement at National Aluminum and Profiles Company (NAPCO) in Palestine. The critical-to-quality characteristics (CTQ) have been determined as base variables to measure the process capability.

The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach has been adopted to conduct this study. More specifically, historical data analysis and PARETO charts have been employed. The defects' root causes have been determined using the cause-and-effect diagram and decision matrix. A course of suggested actions has been established to help in improving extrusion process capability. Minitab-18 software was used for conducting inferential statistical analysis. A case study considering a geometry CTQ of D3 dimension of bottom sash aluminum profiles 4,332 was selected for analysis.

The results indicated a reduction in DPMO from 89,649 to 15,659, sigma level was improved from 2.84 to 3.65, process yield was improved from 91.04% to 98.43% and cost was reduced from U$75,972 to U$13,250.9 (i.e. a saving of U$62,721). Studying and improving the sigma level of the extrusion process would yield fewer defective products and consequently fewer customer complaints. A validation process which has been conducted during the year 2019 showed a consistent improvement that aligns with the first stage of improvement made on October 1, 2018.

This study focuses on only one critical quality characteristic (CTQ), namely, a geometry CTQ of D3 dimension of bottom sash aluminum profiles 4,332 produced by NAPCO was selected for analysis.

This study would be useful for researchers and practitioners to improve the process capability in aluminum profiles manufacturing industries in general and hot extrusion processes in particular.

Many previous studies on applying LSS-DMAIC methodology have been conducted in aluminum industries in developed countries. According to the literature, it is highly recommended to have more case studies of applying LSS-DMAIC in different industries in developing countries. NAPCO is the only aluminum manufacturing plant in Palestine that hotly extrudes and coats aluminum profiles. Hence, the present study is the first of its kind in NAPCO and in Palestine. Projecting the assessment of the impact of process improvement opportunities and capability analyses into monetary measures are also innovative.

Green lean six sigma (GLSS) is a sustainable development approach that leads to improved patient care with improved safety and quality of service to patients. This study aims to identify, study, model and analyze GLSS success factors for the Indian health-care facility.

Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification analyses have been used to understand the hierarchical structure among the GLSS success factors. This enabled the development of dependency relationships between success factors, in particular, which factors support the development of other factors.

Specifically, this study found that the success factors “commitment of management” and “financial availability” are the most critical to GLSS implementation success, as they support the development of all other success factors. Meanwhile “embedding sustainable measures at each stage of the service”; “the capability and effectiveness of real-time data collection”; and “feedback and corrective actions” most directly support the GLSS implementation in the health-care facility and serve as the final indicators of implementation progress.

The major implication of this research work lies in suggesting a direction for practitioners to execute the GLSS approach through a systematic understanding of classification and structural relationships among different enablers. This study also facilitates health-care managers to explore different GL wastes in hospitals and challenges to sustainability pursuits in health-care that assist in an organization’s efforts toward sustainable development.

This research work is the first of its kind that deals with the identification and analysis of the prominent factors that foster the inclusive implementation of GLSS within the health-care facility.