The impact of Lean Manufacturing on environmental and social sustainability: a study using a concept mapping approach

The concept mapping methodology consists of a structured conceptualization which can be used by groups to develop a conceptual framework which can guide evaluation or planning. Concept mapping can be used to help a group to describe their ideas in a pictorial form which has been applied in many different areas: strategic planning, product development, market analysis or decision making. In this paper we describe how the concept mapping methodology, which combines a qualitative case study approach – based on interviews, focus groups and plant visits – and quantitative methods – using software and data-driven mapping methods – was used to answer the following question: can lean manufacturing contribute to a company environmental and social sustainability? The conclusions of the research are empirically analyzed. As expected the impact of lean on productivity and process efficiency was identified but the results also demonstrates that is has a positive effect on resources and energy consumption.