IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v18y2026i8p3826-d1918760.html

A Conceptual Lean–Sustainability Model for Industrial SMEs

Author

Listed:
  • Elena Terradillos

    (Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal)

  • João Matias

    (Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo (DEGEIT), Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    GOVCOPP, Unidade de Investigação em Governança, Competitividade e Políticas Públicas, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Helena V. G. Navas

    (UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
    LASI—Intelligent Systems Associate Laboratory, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal)

  • Olga Costa

    (Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal)

  • David Mendes

    (Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
    DICE Lab, Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal)

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate Lean practices with sustainability due to high methodological complexity and the frequent neglect of the social dimension. This study develops the Simple, Sustainable, and Inclusive Lean Model (SSILM), a conceptual framework designed to bridge these gaps. The methodology involved a systematic meta-evaluation of 31 existing Lean–Sustainability models against 14 operational criteria tailored for SMEs. Findings reveal that current models lack social integration and practical scalability for resource-constrained environments. The proposed SSILM is structured in six phases, from characterization to analysis, prioritizing low-cost participatory tools and strategic innovation. This study contributes a theoretical bridge between operational efficiency and the Triple Bottom Line, specifically emphasizing the social pillar. As a conceptual paper, its primary limitation is the lack of empirical field testing, which establishes a clear roadmap for future longitudinal research in industrial contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Terradillos & João Matias & Helena V. G. Navas & Olga Costa & David Mendes, 2026. "A Conceptual Lean–Sustainability Model for Industrial SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:8:p:3826-:d:1918760
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/8/3826/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/8/3826/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:8:p:3826-:d:1918760. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.