Environmental Practices: Lean Production and Sustainable Environmental Performance: A Comprehensive Case Study Based on an Inventory at a Local Paint Manufacturing Plant

Abstract

This study investigates the association between Lean Production Management practices and Environmental Sustainability Performance in a selected local paint manufacturing factory operating within a batch-process production environment. The study addresses the need to understand how Lean practices may support environmental sustainability in bounded manufacturing contexts where production flow, material use, waste generation, emissions-related risks, and operational control are closely interconnected. A quantitative descriptive-analytical design was adopted using a census-based case study approach. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to the full accessible production-related workforce, yielding 20 valid responses. Lean Production Management was measured through three dimensions: continuous improvement and standardized work, waste reduction and process flow improvement, and Lean tools and operational control. Environmental Sustainability Performance was assessed through indicators related to waste reduction, resource efficiency, energy-use awareness, emissions reduction, pollution control, recycling, and environmental performance consideration. The results revealed high perceived levels of both constructs, and reliability analysis confirmed strong internal consistency of the measurement scales. Correlation and supplementary regression analyses indicated positive relationships between Lean practices and Environmental Sustainability Performance; however, these relationships were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level. The findings suggest that Lean practices may provide an operational foundation for environmental sustainability, but their environmental contribution is not automatic and depends on explicit integration with environmental KPIs, waste measurement, resource-efficiency indicators, and sector-specific pollution-control practices. The study contributes context-specific empirical evidence to Lean-Green manufacturing literature and offers practical guidance for strengthening Lean-Green integration in batch-process paint manufacturing.