Climate Change Mitigation: Application of Management Production Philosophies for Energy Saving in Industrial Processes
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Business Management Department, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43204 Reus, Spain
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Ferrer & Asociados, 43202 Reus, Spain
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(2), 717; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020717
Received: 29 December 2019
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Revised: 8 January 2020
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Accepted: 13 January 2020
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Published: 19 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence and Sustainability)
Climate change is a fact. Global warming of the planet is a result of the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the cause of serious sustainability issues. The objective of this article is to highlight the potential of the Six Sigma methodology to reduce energy consumption in the productive sphere, with consequential reductions in pollutant emissions. We present a systematic literature review that highlights the increasing interest from academics and practitioners in using quality management philosophies for addressing sustainability issues. From the analysis carried out, it is clear that Lean is being used in this regard but the potential of Six Sigma is not being exploited. Taking advantage of the best of both approaches (Lean Six Sigma) can contribute to reducing energy consumption in industrial processes and contribute to mitigating the impacts of those processes on climate change. Moreover, through keyword analysis, we found that the three dimensions of sustainability are currently gaining importance in the literature, when previously only the economic pillar was relevant. Finally, we raise some questions for reflection for academics but also for practitioners, as the problem is a global problem that should be faced by all the community.
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Keywords:
Six Sigma; Lean; operational excellence; process improvement; climate change; energy saving; sustainability; literature review
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MDPI and ACS Style
Niñerola, A.; Ferrer-Rullan, R.; Vidal-Suñé, A. Climate Change Mitigation: Application of Management Production Philosophies for Energy Saving in Industrial Processes. Sustainability 2020, 12, 717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020717
AMA Style
Niñerola A, Ferrer-Rullan R, Vidal-Suñé A. Climate Change Mitigation: Application of Management Production Philosophies for Energy Saving in Industrial Processes. Sustainability. 2020; 12(2):717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020717
Chicago/Turabian StyleNiñerola, Angels, Ramon Ferrer-Rullan, and Antoni Vidal-Suñé. 2020. "Climate Change Mitigation: Application of Management Production Philosophies for Energy Saving in Industrial Processes" Sustainability 12, no. 2: 717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020717
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