The circular economy impact on small to medium enterprises

In recent years, the literature surrounding the circular economy has grown. While the notion of reducing, recycling and reusing have become adopted practices in many organisations under the umbrella of sustainability, having a circular economy is arguably the next generation step, in terms of sustainability. A systematic literature review on the circular economy identified a gap in the research, regarding the impact at the micro level to be placed on small to medium enterprises. The research concludes that a paradigm shift in circular thinking at the micro level is required, and that further research is needed to identify new skills, resources, approaches, and business models to enable subject matter experts (SMEs) to adopt a circular practice.N/

Optimisation of a distribution system in the retail industry: An Australian retail industry

This paper develops a mathematical model based on inventory routing problem that aims to minimise transportation cost, inventory carrying cost and optimises delivery schedules in a retail Australian industry. A supply chain is considered which comprises of a single distribution centre, having homogenous fleet of vehicles, supplying a single product to multiple retailers having deterministic demand. The mathematical model takes into account varying level of road congestion.N/

Integrating Industry 4.0 and Total Productive Maintenance for Global Sustainability

The integration of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and industry 4.0 (I4.0) is an emerging model, and the global pressure of various stakeholders raises scepticism of any emerging model towards providing sustainability. Therefore, this research aims to identify and rank the potential significant drivers of an integrated model of I4.0 and TPM to guide manufacturing enterprises towards sustainability. This research follows a four-phase methodology including literature review and expert opinion to select the sustainability indicators and I4.0 integrated TPM key drivers, followed by employing the Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach for weight determination of sustainability indicators. The research then deploys the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to prioritise the I4.0 integrated TPM key drivers based on their effect on various sustainability indicators. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to check the robustness of the TOPSIS. The findings establish the top five most influential key drivers of an I4.0 integrated TPM system, which include Top management support, Formal I4.0 adoption program, Mid-management involvement and support, Solid TPM baseline knowledge, and High engagement of the production team. These top drives can lead manufacturing firms towards sustainability. The digitalisation of shop floor practices, such as TPM could be adapted by shop floor managers and policymakers of manufacturing companies to deliver sustainability-oriented outcomes. In addition, this research may aid decision-makers in the manufacturing sector in identifying the most important drivers of Industry 4.0 and TPM, which will assist them in more effectively implementing an integrated system of Industry 4.0 and TPM to practice sustainability. The scope of TPM applicability is wide, and the current research is limited to manufacturing companies. Therefore, there is a huge scope for developing and testing the integrated system of Industry 4.0 and TPM in other industrial settings, such as the textile, food and aerospace industries. This research makes a first-of-its-kind effort to examine how an I4.0 integrated TPM model affects manufacturing companies' sustainability and how such effects might be maximised

Supply Chain Resilience Strategies and their Impact on Sustainability: An Investigation from the Automobile Sector

This study proposes a framework comprising supply chain (SC) resilience strategies to handle low-frequency high impact (LFHI) disruptive events. It also evaluates the impact of SC resilience strategies’ implementation on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. A hybrid three-phased method is proposed to meet the research objectives of the study. In the first phase, the study employs the Delphi technique to select SC resilience strategies and SC sustainability dimensions. In the second phase, the Best–Worst Method (BWM) is employed to assess the relative weights of resilience strategies. Finally, in the third stage, summative Likert scoring is used to understand the impact of SC resilience strategies on the SC sustainability triple bottom line (3BL).The outcomes reveal that firms give due importance to inter-organizational relationships and supplier nearness for supply continuity. In the sustainability context, the obtained scores proved that resilience strategies have the maximum impact on economic sustainability, followed by environmental sustainability. This is the first study that examines aspects of SC resilience strategies and quantifies their impact on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. This study is specific to the automobile sector; sectoral diversity may expose similarities and dissimilarities in the approach. The outcome establishes that supplier–manufacturer relationships need to be strengthened further to tackle any future uncertainties. Besides, supplier location decisions may also be revisited. The strategies proposed will aid SC managers to make informed decisions to prepare for uncertain events. In the face of uncertain events, often SC’s trade-off sustainability in pursuit of resilience. It manifests that resilience is a prerequisite for SC sustainability. While planning SCs, organizations often choose either sustainability or resilience. Thus, this study acknowledges the need to develop effective SC resilience strategies that are in harmony with the sustainability agenda

Green Lean Six Sigma Sustainability Oriented Project Selection and Implementation Framework for Manufacturing Industry

Green Lean Six Sigma (GLS) project selection has been done based on the six sustainability-oriented criteria formed from seventeen sub-criteria (found from the literature and developed by authors).The weights of the criteria have been determined through the entropy method. The projects have been ranked based on the criteria through the advanced decision-making approach: Grey relation analysis (GRA). The results of the study were validated using best worst method (BWM) and sensitivity analysis. Purpose: The present study deals with the selection of the sustainability-oriented GLS project for the manufacturing industry in the complex decision-making environment. Moreover, the study also proposes a GLS implementation framework for improved organizational performance. It has been found that the productivity-related criterion is the most significant among other criteria with entropy weight of 0.2721. GRA has been used in this research work to rank the potential GLS projects in a manufacturing industry based on six sustainability criteria, to select a project that exhibits the maximum potential for sustainable improvement. The machine shop has been found as the most significant GLS project with grey relation grade of 0.4742. Originality: With increased globalized competition in recent times, new projects are being considered as the foundation stone for organizational success. The decision making becomes quite complex to select an effective project due to the intriguing nature of various criteria, subcriteria, and different aspects of sustainability. The present study is the first of its kind that provides ways for the selection of sustainability-oriented GLS projects.The present study facilitates practitioners and industrial managers to implement an inclusive GLS approach for improved sustainability dynamics through effective GLS project selection and implementation framework

A review of lean and agile management in humanitarian supply chains: analysing the pre-disaster and post-disaster phases and future directions

Disasters have quadrupled over the last two decades leading to unprecedented loss of life. The objective of disaster-focussed humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) is to ensure saving maximum lives with limited resources; despite severe uncertainties. Therefore, significant research has investigated lean and agile in HSCs; to effectively source and speedily deploy resources, with minimum wastage; in each disaster life-cycle phase. However, the literature and research findings are currently highly disjointed regarding how lean and agile principles may be aligned with different HSC activities in the disaster management lifecycle; and do not provide a collective understanding for practitioners and researchers. This paper reviews and organises the literature on HSCs in relation to lean and agile paradigms, focussing on the pre-disaster (mitigation and preparedness) and post-disaster (response and recovery) phases. Findings reveal, all phases benefit from both lean and agile, with agile benefitting the response phase most. The phases are inter-dependent and identifying optimum decoupling points for lean and agile principles are crucial. Majority research has focussed on individual or a couple of phases. Therefore, authors recommend research on integrating the functions of the different phases by employing lean and agile principles, to generate rapid response, economies of scale and cost minimisation

Slowing the fast fashion industry: an all-round perspective

The fashion sector contributes significantly to global environmental pollution. Clothing manufacturing and transportation produce a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research has shown that nowadays, the number of consumers that are more willing to pay higher prices for clothes with high sustainability content is growing. This paper provides a broad framework of current trends in the fashion, textile, and garment industry, highlighting circular and slow fashion values that companies and policymakers should address in the coming years to maintain their competitiveness in the market and promote sustainable development. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles is expected to help fashion enterprises achieve more circular, sustainable, and resilient value chains. Notably, encouraging natural and recycled textiles, design for reuse and recycling, second-hand retail and repair, and product-as-a-service models, particularly for items with high turnover rates, have been highlighted as critical factors for reducing the fashion industry's environmental implications

Theorizing the Principles of Sustainable Production in the context of Circular Economy and Industry 4.0.

The concept of Sustainable Production is evolving with changes triggered by the emergence of new economic and industrial models such as Circular Economy and Industry 4.0. However, most studies that currently link these concepts are based on the principles of Sustainable Production defined 20 years ago. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to redefine the principles that should govern Sustainable Production operations in the transition towards a Circular Economy and smart industry models. To this end, an initial proposal of 11 principles was shared with 11 world-class experts (academics and practitioners) and a consensus proposal was sought through a Delphi Panel. Ten principles emerged from this study, which were evaluated by experts according to criteria of significance, parsimony, semantic consistency and empirical adequacy. Additionally, to study the relationships between the ten principles, the Interpretative Structural Model (ISM) technique was applied. The ISM technique identified which principles are independent of or dependent on each other and established relationships between the principles. The findings suggest that Principle 5 ("Prioritize employees' well-being"), Principle 6 ("Enhance management commitment to sustainability"), Principle 9 ("Measure and optimize sustainable processes") and Principle 10 ("Boost the use of sustainable technologies") help to establish an ideal context to enhance the development of the rest of the principles that characterize Sustainable Production. The presentation of the ten principles opens new possibilities for researchers while helping managers to better understand sustainability in terms of production and, therefore contribute to achieving SDG 12

A Continuous Improvement Implementation Framework for Manufacturing Companies: a Delphi Study-Based Approach for Development and Validation

Purpose – Due to the absence of industry and region-specific implementation guides, change efforts, in particular Continuous Improvement implementations, continue to report high failure rates. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to present a finalised implementation framework specifically tailored for manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework derived from the existing literature is validated, through a Delphi study, by an expert panel to review its content and suitability for a practical application. Findings – This paper proposes a finalised framework tailored to the practical needs of users. The results of the Delphi approach offer a phased implementation framework that provides an overview of the implementation process of Continuous Improvement initiatives and the key activities involved. The framework is suitable for use by both business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners with varying degrees of previous implementation experience. Research limitations/implications – The research was carried out in the UK and is specifically focused on the manufacturing industry. It is therefore not clear the applicability of the framework presented to other regions and industries. The framework, although validated through several phases of research, still requires practical application and testing. Originality/value – Business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners will benefit from having the necessary content presented in a manner that will promote its practical application. It has also been demonstrated that the framework is robust in its content, incorporating the literature findings as well as the experience of an expert panel encompassing 20 people

Logistics service providers and Industry 4.0: A systematic literature review

Background: Industry 4.0 is one of the topics related to manufacturing, supply chain and logistics that has received great interest from the academic community, organizations and governments in the last decade. Problem statement: Several published articles discuss and seek to conceptualize what the fourth industrial revolution is, but no research relates industry 4.0 in the context of logistics service providers (LSPs) in a clear and structured way. Objectives: This study aims to fill this research gap, proposing a conceptual framework and addressing the challenges, barriers and organizational dimensions that need adaptation to insert LSPs in the new Industry 4.0 environment. Methods: This theoretical and conceptual study uses the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) as a research method to understand the Industry 4.0 phenomenon in the context of LSPs. Contributions: The relevant constructs identified in this research will help professionals and organizations that provide logistics services to develop strategies and encourage new research in the 15 field of Industry 4.0 from the perspective of LSPs. Results: In addition, this research identified and generally consolidated six dimensions, as a result of this innovative study a conceptual framework is presented