Sustainable Management of Manufacturing Processes: A Literature Review

Abstract

Industrial economic activity is one of the primary causes of environmental degradation and a source of issues related to social inequality. Nevertheless, research has shown that the application of the sustainable entrepreneurship model can significantly improve environmental and social conditions while maintaining continuous and sustainable economic growth. Despite that, statistics show relatively low engagement in sustainable entrepreneurship, potentially due to a lack of expertise among entrepreneurs. Due to the low engagement, available sustainability performance metrics are not a relevant measurement tool. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify a set of criteria that evaluate expertise levels in sustainable entrepreneurship within the manufacturing industry. Through the application of monographic and secondary data analysis methods, the authors carried out a literature review. The findings indicated that sustainable management is a key component to the triple-bottom-line (TBL) framework that is used as a conceptual basis for sustainable entrepreneurship. Additionally, the authors identified 19 criteria of sustainable entrepreneurship within four dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, and management). Despite the limitations, with a more refined literature review, the criteria could be applied as a comprehensive resource to estimate expertise in sustainable entrepreneurship in future studies on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).