LEANSUPPLYCHAIN [ INSIGHT ] by Paul A. Myerson Adjunct Professor, Supply Chain Management, Kean University and author of books on Lean and the Supply Chain for McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Productivity Press 732-441-3879 | myersonp@kean.edu
Follow This Roadmap To a Lean, Sustainable Supply Chain
Few companies realize that, when implemented in the supply chain, Lean and Green are not contradictory but can be mutually beneficial. This is a good reason for firms to adopt an integrated Lean and Green strategy.
developing the future state of the VSM based on the suggestions provided, allowing for a more sustainable supply chain. This combined VSM methodology allows a company to visually map its supply chain operations from a more sustainable perspective. LSVSM is usually a visual and qualitative tool, which allows decisionmakers, through a set of indicators, to clearly identify and prioritize actions toward a more sustainable supply chain. This methodology can be applied in any industry. Companies can eliminate indicators that do not fit their purposes or add indicators that are relevant for their core business. It also decomposes complex supply chains in paths, which allows managers to clearly identify problems that are usually not comprehensive due to their complexity. The proposed indicators are also a powerful tool for supply chain managers to quantify the improvements they make. This allows them to monitor sustainability performance and to communicate internally and with stakeholders about the improvements. A generic and systematic tool to design future Value Stream Maps can help organizations achieve a more sustainable and lean supply chain.
Developing a combined Lean and Sustainable Value Stream Map (LSVSM) is perhaps the most challenging step. A Value Stream Map (VSM) helps identify bottlenecks quantitatively and provides guidelines to create a future VSM. This resulting future state will be a more sustainable and efficient supply chain. RELIEVING BOTTLENECKS The enhanced current-state LSVSM will include not only standard economic indicators such as cost and service bottlenecks, but also environmental indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, material recycling and energy use. Once a firm identifies bottlenecks, it creates plans to relieve and measure them in a future state VSM. This process also identifies “hot spots”—a specific stage or process with a high concentration of waste, inefficiency, and environmental impact—and provides suggestions to overcome them. It also guides the organization toward
When a Lean and Green Supply Chain (LGSC) becomes a part of the same continuous economic and environmental improvement strategy, the relationship between Lean and Green can maximize the synergies between the two philosophies. A combined approach used to create an LGSC should include these general steps: 1. Create readiness for a combined Lean and Green program. 2. Establish (revised) strategic goals for the company as a whole and the supply chain organization specifically. 3. Perform a Lean and Green assessment to look for opportunities for improvement. 4. Develop Lean and Green value stream integrated thinking and systematics. 5. Use Lean and Green problem- solving tools and improvement methods. 6. Implement Lean and Green performance management and continuous improvement to ensure long- term benefits.
70 Inbound Logistics • January 2026
Powered by FlippingBook