Enablers to the adoption of sustainable practices in automotive manufacturing: interpretive structural modelling driven by multi-company perspective

In mounting global environmental concerns, firms orient their operations, from supplier selection to product distribution to sustainable models. The pressure of environmental sustainability is more felt by heavy industries that have a high dependence on natural resources for energy generation, the automobile manufacturing sector being one. Earlier research has put considerable emphasis on theoretical literature regarding sustainability. On the other hand, research on global sustainable manufacturing practices is thin. Therefore, addressing this gap in research becomes important for the world's understanding of sustainability use in manufacturing contexts. This paper aims to study global auto manufacturers’ sustainability enablers and propose a framework for interrelationships and the hierarchy of these enablers for adopting sustainability in manufacturing. An intensive review of the literature and a study of six major global automotive manufacturers is conducted to identify the drivers of sustainable manufacturing. Cross-sector collaborations, green raw material selection, use of greener vehicles, digitization, and data-driven manufacturing are the major drivers identified that support sustainable practices. The resulting enablers of sustainable manufacturing are redesigning, modularization of parts, habitat programmes for resource preservation, life cycle analysis, re-manufacturing, and refurbishing. Automakers in the nascent stage of implementing sustainability practices are able to get insight into implementing sustainable initiatives from this paper.