Many companies view lean manufacturing and “green” (sustainable) manufacturing as separate initiatives. However, research shows that a lean transformation of a production facility almost always results in a green transformation as well. This concept is sometimes called “Environmental Lean” or “En-Lean”.
The connection is simple: the systematic elimination of lean wastes directly reduces environmental impact. For example:
Eliminating Overproduction reduces the total energy and raw materials consumed.
Optimising Plant Layouts (cellular manufacturing) reduces exhaust and power consumption from unneeded material transfers.
Reducing Inventory leads to less packaging waste and lower solid waste generation.
A case study of the Grand Rapids Chair Company demonstrated this synergy. By using lean tools like Kaizen to analyse their “waste” literally, they diverted 220 cubic yards of solid waste to recycling annually while saving over $100,000 through optimised supplier selection that reduced transportation miles. Ultimately, lean manufacturing transcends green manufacturing, when you stop wasting time and resources, you naturally protect the environment.
About The Author
