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Stepping Towards Sustainable Business: An Evaluation of Waste Minimization Practices in US Manufacturing

Author

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  • Iain J. Clelland

    (Department of Management, 408 Stokely Management Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0545)

  • Thomas J. Dean

    (College of Business and Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0419)

  • Thomas J. Douglas

    (School of Business Administration, University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana 47722)

Abstract

Central to the movement of organizations toward environmental sustainability is the financial viability and environmental effectiveness of the techniques for improving environmental performance. While waste-minimization practices (WMPs) have been touted as a key element in moving manufacturing organizations toward sustainability, we know little about their utilization and effectiveness across a range of industrial and organizational contexts. Using waste-minimization data collected as part of the Toxics Release Inventory, we studied 250 manufacturing firms to provide empirical evidence to enable plant managers to prioritize waste-minimization options. We found clear evidence of a corporate double bonus WMPs can provide through pollution reduction and enhanced operational efficiency relative to traditional end-of-pipe solutions. In the array of ecologically sustainable business practices, it appears that WMPs provide immediate environmental and operational benefits and build momentum for further steps toward environmentally sustainable economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Iain J. Clelland & Thomas J. Dean & Thomas J. Douglas, 2000. "Stepping Towards Sustainable Business: An Evaluation of Waste Minimization Practices in US Manufacturing," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 30(3), pages 107-124, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:30:y:2000:i:3:p:107-124
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.30.3.107.11661
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tony Pickford & Liz Ellis, 2015. "The creation of interactive activity pods at a Recycling Education Centre," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 30(3), pages 370-381, May.
    2. Nilanjana Dutt & Andrew A. King, 2014. "The Judgment of Garbage: End-of-Pipe Treatment and Waste Reduction," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(7), pages 1812-1828, July.
    3. Marios Bisilkas & Iván Barreda Tarrazona & Aurora García-Gallego, 2012. "Sustainability Requirements Dynamics in New Product Development," Working Papers 2012/19, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    4. Ryan W. Buell & Basak Kalkanci, 2021. "How Transparency into Internal and External Responsibility Initiatives Influences Consumer Choice," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 932-950, February.
    5. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    6. Caroline Flammer, 2015. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Lead to Superior Financial Performance? A Regression Discontinuity Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(11), pages 2549-2568, November.
    7. Lanndon A. Ocampo, 2019. "Applying fuzzy AHP–TOPSIS technique in identifying the content strategy of sustainable manufacturing for food production," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 2225-2251, October.
    8. Cristian Mejia & Yuya Kajikawa, 2021. "The Academic Landscapes of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance and Environmental Sustainability: A Study of Commonalities and Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, March.
    9. Markus Hang & Jerome Geyer‐Klingeberg & Andreas W. Rathgeber, 2019. "It is merely a matter of time: A meta‐analysis of the causality between environmental performance and financial performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 257-273, February.

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