Lean and carbon footprint association: An empirical analysis

Lean has become a buzz topic in today’s arena of competition. Looking at the increasing ability of lean to provide answers to the problem of global warming, this study was planned with the aim to comparatively assess the environmental performance among lean and non-lean initiated apparel units of National Capital Region (India) in terms of environment performance indicator ‘Carbon footprint’. Apparel units were selected using inclusion or exclusion criteria from the member list of Apparel Export Promotion Council, Gurgaon, India. Carbon footprint emission sources were identified and calculations were done as per the standards of ISO- 14064-1 and Green house gas Protocol under Scope I and II emissions. The results revealed that the lean initiated apparel units had significantly lower carbon foot print in comparison to non- lean initiated units. Calculation of carbon footprint in this study is a valuable initiative towards reducing climate change impact.