Mapping Strategic Themes and Clusters in Lean-Green Operations Management Strategies and Sustainability Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70122/ajbsp.v3i2.1Keywords:
bibliometric analysis, cluster analysis, lean-green, mapping strategic themes, operations management, sustainability performanceAbstract
This study aims to map the strategic themes and research clusters related to lean-green operations management strategies and sustainability performance. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using a structured workflow supported by Biblioshiny, the web-based interface of the Bibliometrix R package. The dataset comprised 798 peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2025, retrieved from scientific databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, and MDPI. Performance analysis and science mapping were conducted using Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny. The findings identified five well-established motor themes: sustainable performance, lean manufacturing, green supply chain management, green innovation, and the circular economy, which represent the core areas of the research field. Three niche themes, including green human resource management and environmental frameworks, reflect specialized research areas, while emerging themes such as lean production and lean thinking indicate evolving research frontiers. Four basic themes, including dynamic capabilities and sustainability performance measurement, highlight critical gaps in theoretical and empirical development. The study proposes a conceptual framework linking lean-green operations management strategies with sustainability performance, providing firms with a pathway to achieve operational excellence while advancing environmental and social sustainability. This study contributes to the literature by integrating lean and green operations management perspectives and offering a knowledge roadmap that connects foundational concepts with emerging themes and future research directions.
References
Abbate, S., Centobelli, P., Cerchione, R., Nadeem, S. P., & Riccio, E. (2024). Sustainability trends and gaps in the textile, apparel and fashion industries. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(2), 2837–2864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02887-2
Abualfaraa, W., AlManei, M., Kaur, R., Al-Ashaab, A., McLaughlin, P., & Salonitis, K. (2023). A synergetic framework for green and lean manufacturing practices in SMEs: Saudi Arabia perspective. Sustainability, 15(1), Article 596. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010596
Abualfaraa, W., Salonitis, K., Al-Ashaab, A., & Ala’raj, M. (2020). Lean-green manufacturing practices and their link with sustainability: A critical review. Sustainability, 12(3), Article 981. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030981
Akmal, A., Podgorodnichenko, N., Greatbanks, R., & Zhang, J. A. (2022). Does organizational readiness matter in lean thinking practices? An agency perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(11), 1760-1792. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-05-2021-0331
Ali, H., & Shoaib, M. (2023). A comprehensive literature review on green supply chain management: Recent advances and potential research directions. International Journal of Supply and Operations Management, 10(1), 57–75. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijsom.2022.109587.2503
Al-Khatib, A. W., & Shuhaiber, A. (2022). Green intellectual capital and green supply chain performance: Does big data analytics capabilities matter? Sustainability, 14(16), Article 10054. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610054
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Awad, N., Alghamdi, H., & Alqahtani, A. (2022). Lean manufacturing practices and their impact on sustainable production performance: Empirical evidence. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 64, 456–470.
Awan, F. H., Dunnan, L., Jamil, K., Mustafa, S., Atif, M., Gul, R. F., & Guangyu, Q. (2022). Mediating role of green supply chain management between lean manufacturing practices and sustainable performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 810504. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.810504
Bhatia, M. S., & Gangwani, K. K. (2021). Green supply chain management: Scientometric review and analysis of empirical research. Journal of Cleaner Production, 284, Article 124722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124722
Bhatt, Y., Ghuman, K., & Dhir, A. (2020). Sustainable manufacturing: Bibliometrics and content analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 260, Article 120988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120988
Bhattacharya, A., Nand, A., & Castka, P. (2019). Lean-green integration and its impact on sustainability performance: A critical review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 236, Article 117697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117697
Bonilla Hernández, J., Pérez-Bernal, J., & López-Paredes, A. (2019). Green manufacturing and circular economy practices in industrial systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 231, 135–150.
Chen, T., Zhang, X., Tang, J., & Guo, H. (2023). Optimal government subsidy scheme for lean-oriented innovation in the textile industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 413, Article 137505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137505
Cherrafi, A., Elfezazi, S., Chiarini, A., Mokhlis, A., & Benhida, K. (2021). Integration of lean, green and sustainable practices: Conceptual and practical insights. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(2), 321–357.
Choudhary, S., Nayak, R., Dora, M., Mishra, N., & Ghadge, A. (2019). An integrated lean-green approach for improving sustainability performance: A case study of a packaging manufacturing SME in the U.K. Production Planning & Control, 30(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2018.1501811
Ciliberto, C., Szopik-Depczyńska, K., Tarczyńska-Łuniewska, M., Ruggieri, A., & Ioppolo, G. (2021). Enabling the circular economy transition: A sustainable lean manufacturing recipe for Industry 4.0. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(7), 3255–3272. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2801
Crispim, J. P., Rodrigues, R., & Oliveira, M. (2022). Mapping sustainable operations research: Co-citation analysis and knowledge trends. Sustainability, 14(3), 1–19.
Dassisti, M., Chiarello, F., Fantoni, G., Priarone, P. C., Ingarao, G., Campana, G., Matta, A., Cimatti, B., Colledani, M., Frigerio, N., Forcellese, A., & Simoncini, M. (2019). Benchmarking the sustainable manufacturing paradigm via automatic analysis and clustering of scientific literature: A perspective from Italian technologists. Procedia Manufacturing, 33, 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2019.04.104
Dahmani, N., Benhida, K., Belhadi, A., Kamble, S., Elfezazi, S., & Jauhar, S. K. (2021). Smart circular product design strategies towards eco-effective production systems: A lean eco-design Industry 4.0 framework. Journal of Cleaner Production, 320, Article 128847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128847
De Souza, J. P. E., & Dekkers, R. (2019). Adding sustainability to lean product development. Procedia Manufacturing, 39, 1327–1336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.01.325
Dervis, H. (2019). Bibliometric analysis using Bibliometrix, an R package. Journal of Scientometric Research, 8(3), 156–160. https://doi.org/10.5530/JSCIRES.8.3.32
Dieste, M., Panizzolo, R., Garza-Reyes, J. A., & Anosike, A. (2019). The relationship between lean and environmental performance: Practices and measures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224, 120–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.243
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
El Faydy, N., & El Abbadi, L. (2020). Overview of lean-green approach. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 59(Lasnier 2007), 235–242.
Farias, L. M. S., Santos, L. C., Gohr, C. F., de Oliveira, L. C., & da Silva Amorim, M. H. (2019). Criteria and practices for lean-green performance assessment: Systematic review and conceptual framework. Journal of Cleaner Production, 218, 746–762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.042
Fiorello, M., Gladysz, B., Corti, D., Wybraniak-Kujawa, M., Ejsmont, K., & Sorlini, M. (2023). Towards a smart lean green production paradigm to improve operational performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 413, Article 137418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137418
Guetterman, T. C., Babchuk, W. A., Howell Smith, M., & Stevens, J. (2021). Integrating bibliometric mapping with qualitative synthesis: Methods for health and social sciences research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(6), 711–727.
Huo, B., Gu, M., & Wang, Z. (2019). Green or lean? A supply chain approach to sustainable performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.011
Ingale, S., & Paluri, R. (2022). Science mapping and bibliometric review of lean-green practices in supply chains. Journal of Cleaner Production, 341, 1–20.
Kovilage, M. P. (2021). Influence of lean-green practices on organizational sustainable performance. Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/JABES-11-2019-0115
Kumar, S., & Barua, M. K. (2022). A modeling framework of green practices to explore their interrelations as a conduit to policy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 335, Article 130301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.130301
Lartey, T., Yirenkyi, D. O., Adomako, S., Danso, A., Amankwah-Amoah, J., & Alam, A. (2020). Going green, going clean: Lean-green sustainability strategy and firm growth. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2353
Lim, M. K., Lai, M., Wang, C., & Lee, S. Y. (2022). Circular economy to ensure production operational sustainability: A green-lean approach. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 30, 130–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.12.001
Li, M., Tian, Z., Liu, Q., & Lu, Y. (2022). Literature Review and Research Prospect on the Drivers and Effects of Green Innovation. Sustainability, 14(16), 9858. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169858
Malgorzata, Antosz, K., & Gola, A. (2021). From lean to sustainable manufacturing—An overview. European Research Studies Journal, XXIV(Special Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/2225
Mohaghegh, M., Blasi, S., & Größler, A. (2021). Dynamic capabilities linking lean practices and sustainable business performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 322, Article 129073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129073
Moral-Muñoz, J. A., Herrera-Viedma, E., Santisteban-Espejo, A., & Cobo, M. J. (2020). Software tools for conducting bibliometric analysis in science: A comparative review. El Profesional de la Información, 29(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.ene.03
Queiroz, G. A., Delai, I., Filho, A. G. A., de Santa-Eulalia, L. A., & Torkomian, A. L. V. (2023). Synergies and trade-offs between lean-green practices from the perspective of operations strategy: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 15(6), Article 5296. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065296
Queiroz, G. A., Junior, P. N. A., & Melo, I. C. (2022). Digitalization as an enabler to SMEs implementing lean-green? A systematic review through the topic modelling approach. Sustainability, 14(21), Article 14089. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114089
Ramkumar, M., Rani, R., & Suresh, P. (2021). Bibliometric review of lean-green operations management research. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 12(4), 867–891.
Rathi, R., Kaswan, M. S., Garza-Reyes, J. A., Antony, J., & Cross, J. (2022). Green Lean Six Sigma for improving manufacturing sustainability: Framework development and validation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 345, Article 131130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131130
Siegel, R., Antony, J., Govindan, K., Garza-Reyes, J. A., Lameijer, B., & Samadhiya, A. (2022). A framework for the systematic implementation of Green-Lean and sustainability in SMEs. Production Planning & Control. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2022.2052200
Soltani, M., Aouag, H., Anass, C., & Mouss, M. D. (2023). Development of an advanced application process of the lean manufacturing approach based on a new integrated MCDM method under a Pythagorean fuzzy environment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 386, Article 135731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135731
Tafazzoli, M., Mousavi, E., & Kermanshachi, S. (2020). Opportunities and challenges of Green-Lean: An integrated system for sustainable construction. Sustainability, 12(11), Article 4460. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114460
Teixeira, A., Jabbour, C., & de Sousa Jabbour, A. (2023). Green supply chain practices and environmental performance: Empirical evidence from Brazil. Sustainability, 15(1), 1–15.
Yadav, V., Kaswan, M. S., Gahlot, P., Duhan, R. K., Garza-Reyes, J. A., Rathi, R., & Yadav, G. (2023). Green Lean Six Sigma for sustainability improvement: A systematic review and future research agenda. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 14(4), 759–790. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-06-2022-0132
Zhu, X., Xiao, Y., Xiao, G., & Deng, X. (2022). Research on driving factors of collaborative integration implementation of lean-green manufacturing system with Industry 4.0 based on Fuzzy AHP-DEMATEL-ISM: From the perspective of enterprise stakeholders. Processes, 10(12), Article 2714. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10122714
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
