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This paper develops a contingency based model to understand how green technologies and green manufacturing performance measures evolve with the green manufacturing maturity levels of the firms.

A conceptual research model is developed by synthesizing extant literature. An illustrative case study of a paint manufacturing company is conducted, analyzing its five key green initiatives, which it has undertaken to demonstrate the research model. The primary means of data collection was interviews and document analysis.

It was observed that for all the five green initiatives, the choice of green technologies and the use of green manufacturing performance measures corroborate with the proposed research model. Further, the initial green manufacturing effort was motivated to comply with regulations, which subsequently shifted to gain strategic advantage, such as cost reduction and visibility.

The proposed model was applied only to an Indian paint manufacturing company with their five key green initiatives, which potentially limits the generalizability of the findings to other industries and/or geographies.

The findings would aid practitioners in understanding both selection of green technology and the use of green manufacturing performance measures, based on a firm's maturity stage.

This study conducts a much-needed research on the evolution of green technology alternatives and green manufacturing performance measures for firms according to the four-stage maturity model derived from the natural resourced-based view.

The researchers maintain that when a firm tackles “green concerns,” there could be several repercussions for manufacturing strategy decision areas (MS DAs). However, such repercussions are complex and have not been widely researched. This paper aims to propose a conceptual maturity stage model to study the configuration of MS DAs.

Firms exhibit different levels of “green” maturity in their journey and tend to make different choices in green technologies (GTs), resulting thereby in other compatible choices in their MS DAs. Extant literature has been synthesized in this light to build a conceptual maturity stage model in two steps. First, what is the GT that is involved! The second step discusses the possible implications of such a GT for MS DAs. Further, such information is organized according to a firm’s four maturity stages for all GTs that may be applicable. A case study has been undertaken to illustrate the model.

The results show good potential for the proposed conceptual model to examine the repercussions of MS DAs in industrial cases, and thereby develop relevant theories on this subject.

The proposed model was applied to a paint manufacturing company, which potentially limits the findings’ generalizability to other industries and/or geographies.

The proposed conceptual model can help managers assess the maturity stages of manufacturing to determine suitable adjustments that may be required in configuring MS DAs to improve their positions.

This is among the very few models to explore the repercussions of green manufacturing for MS DAs according to the four-stage maturity model.

This study aims to explore manufacturing companies' environmental performance with the green supply chain management (GSCM) approach, taking into account company size, geographic region, industrial sector, target market and environmental management maturity level.

Based on the literature review, five propositions were put forward. An empirical study, using survey research, was completed. The survey questionnaire was designed with 46 items, using both the literature and industry expert input. Statistical analysis was employed to test the propositions in a sample of 116 Colombian manufacturing companies.

The test results indicate that significant environmental performance differences exist, given company sizes and target markets. However, no statistical significance was found involving the geographic region or industrial sector. Significant differences were found in maturity levels between the three clusters identified: reactive, preventive and proactive. Although the companies in the proactive group performed better, they still lagged in green practices that implied integration with suppliers and customers.

This study provides empirical evidence regarding the profile of those manufacturing companies that achieve better environmental performance. Moreover, the results yield insights for the generation of continuous improvement processes in companies with lower performance.

Few empirical studies have been carried out in GSCM that integrate specific factors in the environmental performance assessment of manufacturing companies in developing countries. On the other hand, the results permit the identification of the profile of those companies with greater maturity in their environmental practices.

Sustainability innovation systems (SIS) refer to the investment in information systems (IS) to enable business sustainability within stages of sustainability maturity. A prior framework proposes that the roles played by IS to support sustainability depend on the stage of sustainability maturity achieved. The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine these propositions.

This study conducts longitudinal case studies of six companies across three industries. Data were collected from the companies’ Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reports over a six-year period from 2009 to 2015.

The study provides initial empirical support for the proposition of the SIS framework that companies follow a staged path to sustainability maturity and that IS play specific roles as companies mature.

The findings encourage future research to take a longitudinal and holistic view of sustainability and IS. Future research could also collect a more comprehensive data set for statistical analysis.

The study provides guidelines for practitioners in making decisions about companies’ investments in IS for sustainability, particularly within individual stages of sustainability maturity.

The study goes beyond environmental sustainability to empirically show that companies are deploying IT assets for social sustainability too.

The multiple-longitudinal case study approach provides an intimate understanding of companies’ actual usage of IS resources to enable sustainability. The study is also among the very early research using GRI reports for research on IS and sustainability, showing that these reports are a rich secondary data source for IS scholars.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages (mature vs growth) and green process innovation performance. In addition, this research delineates the mechanism by which the mature stage firms are more strongly associated with green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and recognizes technological capabilities as a mediating variable fundamental to achieve a higher level of green process innovation performance.

This research collected data from 202 publicly listed Thai manufacturing firms. Initially, it used multiple regression analysis to test the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to the relationship between growth stage firms and green process innovation performance. Later, this research followed Muller et al. (2005) to test the mediating role of technological capabilities and conducted (Sobel, 1982, 1986; Preacher and Hayes, 2004) tests to further validate the mediation effect.

The hypothesized relationships were found to be significant, providing a strong support that mature stage firms have higher green process innovation performance compared with growth stage firms. Moreover, the technological capabilities more strongly mediate the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and green process innovation performance.

This research contributes to the existing understanding about the internal drivers of green process innovation performance by incorporating and analyzing the firms’ life cycle stages as an internal driver. This research also contributes by empirically testing the mediating role of technological capabilities on the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages and green process innovation performance.

Organizations and markets are constantly developing and changing, impacting how organizations create value and manage supply chains. This paper aims to identify the motor themes and subthemes of academic research that relate supply chain management (SCM) maturity and business models (BMs).

The Science Mapping Analysis Tool (SciMAT) was used to conduct a seven-step bibliometric analysis of 889 documents indexed in the Scopus database clustering by relatedness of works and keywords. The methodological approach included content analysis of the literature, longitudinal analysis and strategic diagram analysis.

The thematic evolution analysis revealed that three themes drive the studies on SCM maturity and BM: industry 4.0 (motor theme), environmental management (transversal theme) and product management (highly developed and isolated theme). The strategic diagrams and co-word networks allowed to graphically identify the main topics connecting SCM maturity and BM. Considering this connection, the scientific mapping emphasizes the significance and strength of the link between digital technologies, technology management and manufacturing management in Industry 4.0. In addition, the connections between the subthemes revealed that circular economy and green human resource management are important concepts to advance theory and practice on the connection between SCM maturity and BM.

This research extends the knowledge base by providing an analysis of the key themes and the links with subthemes in the literature that relate to SCM maturity and BM. Key studies are analyzed and linked with the key topics identified using the SciMAT software. Future research avenues are outlined, providing new insights to advance theory and practice.

This research study aims to introduce a maturity model based on capability maturity model integration (CMMI) that can assess the digital manufacturing maturity level of manufacturing companies.

A CMMI model for the manufacturing industry is designed to assess the digitalisation level of manufacturing industries. The model is developed exclusively for the process area “organisational process focus” (OPF), and the digitalisation level is quantified using fuzzy logic by employing a case study approach.

The CMMI is successfully employed to assess the digitalisation level of a manufacturing organisation using the fuzzy logic approach. The triangular fuzzy number of the Fuzzy CMMI Measure Index (FCMI) is obtained as (6.08, 7.33, 8.52). The transformation of FCMI into linguistic terms discloses the digitalisation level of the manufacturing organisation as “Capability Maturity Level 4” (CML 4).

The authors tested the suitability of CMMI in the manufacturing sector. The operational concept introduced in this research sets forth a unique framework to quantify the digitalisation level of manufacturing industries.

This paper discusses logistics service providers' (LSPs’) energy efficiency initiatives for sustainable development, both from an evolutionary perspective and based on a framework consisting of actions, processes (i.e. at the operations interface) and services (i.e. at the customer interface).

Following a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with sustainability managers at LSPs and the data were analysed via inductive coding. Based on the results and the literature, the authors developed a maturity model for LSPs' transitions to environmental sustainability.

LSPs' sustainable development occurs via operational processes, services at the customer interface, and actions that support those processes and services. Energy efficiency efforts are characterised by process depth that helps LSPs to align with their customers' energy efficiency improvement processes. While services related to energy efficiency connect LSPs and their customers, actions in support vary depending on the logistics activities in which LSPs participate.

Further research is needed to test and verify the maturity model and to clarify the interdependency of its three dimensions.

By categorising energy efficiency initiatives and proposing a maturity model for LSPs' sustainable development via energy efficiency, the authors have developed a tool for logistics actors to assess their progress towards improved sustainability.

The paper contributes to the literature by providing a three-pillar framework to understand the sustainability transitions of LSPs through energy efficiency. Developing a maturity model using this framework also contributes to the literature with an approach to assess sustainability advancement in the logistics industry.

This paper proposes a maturity model to indicate the operational excellence (OE) implementation status of businesses in emerging countries, considering its importance in Industry 4.0.

The study involves four steps. First, undertake a study of the literature to identify the variables to consider in the maturity model; second, identify how to organize the variables found in the first step; third, structure a questionnaire to define the maturity model; and lastly, validate the variables found in the literature and the maturity levels.

A total of 23 variables were validated through interviews with general managers, operation managers and experts within organizations. Interviews were carried out in 49 companies from different sectors. Five maturity levels were defined in this study: basic level, beginner level, training level, innovative level and champion level.

Many businesses are implementing OE as a practice to remain competitive in their industries, targeting economic, environmental and social sustainability. However, OE implementation in companies from developing or emerging countries is far below the average level of that in developed companies due to cultural, political or economic constraints. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no model that indicates the status of OE implementation in companies from emerging countries or the different levels to implement OE. This study fills the mentioned gap.

Despite significant amounts of environmental management tools that are available for companies to use, no model guides them toward environmental excellence. As a consequence, the purpose of this paper is to develop an environmental management maturity (EMM) model that helps companies that are on the path toward environmental excellence.

An iterative process was used to develop this model, starting with some semi-structured interviews with 19 companies within the Basque Country and two workshops with environmental experts. Following these steps, the initial version of the model was developed. Data from subsequent surveys carried out in Spanish and Italian companies, and a survey and semi-structured interviews in companies in the UK were incorporated into the model, yielding the final, more robust version of the EMM model.

The EMM model proposes six maturity stages: legal requirements, responsibility assignment and training, systematization, ECO², eco-innovative products and services, and leading green company. Each stage details a series of elements: description, agents involved, policies, tools, indicators, structure, and behavior over time graphs. This research confirms that a company’s environmental management evolves through several distinctive stages, regardless of the industrial sector.

The proposed model concludes that the defined maturity stages provide valuable guidance for industrial firms as it helps them identify their maturity stage as well as the steps they should follow to move to the next stage.