Abstract
Green practices have become an important strategic approach for manufacturing organisations seeking to improve sustainability while maintaining long-term competitiveness. Previous studies have extensively examined the environmental and financial benefits of green practices, and yet, limited research has explored their broader contribution to organisational performance from a qualitative perspective. This study explores the common green practices applied in the manufacturing industry and how these green practices contribute to organisational performance in Malaysian manufacturing companies. A qualitative multiple-case study design was adopted involving seven manufacturing companies located in Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten informants, complemented by document analysis and workplace observations to strengthen the data credibility. Thematic analysis supported by NVivo software was employed to identify the recurring themes across the participating organisations. The findings reveal that green practices contribute to organisational performance through three interrelated dimensions: safety performance, economic performance, and organisational reputation. Green initiatives such as waste management and work process innovation improved resource efficiency, reduced operational waste, enhanced workplace safety, lowered operational costs, and strengthened stakeholder confidence. The study extends the existing literature by demonstrating that green practices create organisational value beyond environmental sustainability and should be viewed as strategic resources that enhance overall organisational performance. The findings provide practical guidance for manufacturing managers and policymakers in integrating environmental and operational strategies to achieve sustainable business performance.
Keywords
- Green Practices Search this journal for Green Practices (opens in a new tab)
- Sustainability Search this journal for Sustainability (opens in a new tab)
- Safety Benefit Search this journal for Safety Benefit (opens in a new tab)
- Organizational Performance Search this journal for Organizational Performance (opens in a new tab)
- Manufacturing Industry Search this journal for Manufacturing Industry (opens in a new tab)
References
- Afum, E., Agyabeng-Mensah, Y., Sun, Z., Frimpong, B., Kusi, L. Y., & Acquah, I. S. K. (2020). Exploring the link between green manufacturing, operational competitiveness, firm reputation and sustainable performance dimensions: a mediated approach. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 31(7), 1417–1438. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmtm-02-2020-0036 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-02-2020-0036
- Al-Hakimi, M. A., Al-Swidi, A. K., Gelaidan, H. M., & Mohammed, A. (2022). The influence of green manufacturing practices on the corporate sustainable performance of SMEs under the effect of green organisational culture: A moderated mediation analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 376, 134346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134346 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134346
- Atlas, M., & Florida, R. (1998). Green manufacturing. In R. Drof (Ed), Handbook of technology management (pp. 1385-1393). CRC press.
- Bhool, R., & Narwal, M. S. (2013). An analysis of drivers affecting the implementation of green supply chain management for the Indian manufacturing industries. International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, 2(11), 2319-1163.
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
- Conding, J., Mohd Zubir, A. F., Adwini Hashim, S., & Ain Sri Lanang, N. (2012). A Proposed of Green Practices and Green Innovation Model in Malaysian Automotive Industry. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.5296/emsd.v1i2.2183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/emsd.v1i2.2183
- El Mokadem M, Khalaf M (2025), "Building sustainable performance through green supply chain management". International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 74 No. 1 pp. 203–223, doi: https://doi-org.ezproxy.utm.my/10.1108/IJPPM-02-2024-0113 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-02-2024-0113
- Gao, Y., Li, J., & Song, Y. (2009). Performance evaluation of green supply chain management based on membership conversion algorithm. 2009 ISECS International Colloquium on Computing, Communication, Control, and Management. doi: 10.1109/cccm.2009.5267895 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/CCCM.2009.5267895
- Ghazilla, R. A., Sakundarini, N., Abdul-Rashid, S. H., Ayub, N. S., Olugu, E. U., & Musa, S. N. (2015). Drivers and Barriers Analysis for Green Manufacturing Practices in Malaysian SMEs: A Preliminary Findings. Procedia CIRP, 26, 658-663. doi: 10.1016/j.procir.2015.02.085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2015.02.085
- Govindan, K., Shaw, M., & Majumdar, A. (2021). Social sustainability tensions in multi-tier supply chain: A systematic literature review towards conceptual framework development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123075 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123075
- Green, K. W., Zelbst, P. J., Meacham, J., & Bhadauria, V. S. (2012). Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 17(3), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1108/13598541211227126 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13598541211227126
- Haile, M. B., and S. Singh. 2025. “Linking Corporate Environmental Strategy to Environmental Performance: The Mediating Role of Employee Green Behavior and the Moderating Effect of Environmental Concern.” Business Strategy & Development 8, no. 4: e70215. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.70215. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.70215
- Hasan, M. M., Nekmahmud, M., Yajuan, L., & Patwary, M. A. (2019). Green business value chain: a systematic review. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 20, 326–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2019.08.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2019.08.003
- Khan, S. A. R., Jian, C., Yu, Z., Golpira, H., & Kumar, A. (2018). Impact of Green Practices on Pakistani Manufacturing Firm Performance: A Path Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling. Computational Intelligence and Sustainable Systems, 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02674-5_6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02674-5_6
- Mamtani, B. (2020). Occupational Safety Practices in Manufacturing Industry in the North India. International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, 8(6), 2301-2310. doi: 10.22214/ijraset.2020.6371 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2020.6371
- Mardani, A., Kannan, D., Hooker, R. E., Ozkul, S., Alrasheedi, M., & Tirkolaee, E. B. (2020). Evaluation of green and sustainable supply chain management using structural equation modelling: A systematic review of the state of the art literature and recommendations for future research. Journal of Cleaner Production, 249, 119383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119383 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119383
- Maruthi, G. D., & Rashmi, R. (2015). Green Manufacturing: It’s Tools and Techniques that can be implemented in Manufacturing Sectors. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2(4–5), 3350–3355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2015.07.308 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2015.07.308
- Ninlawan, C., Seksan, P., Tossapol, K., & Pilada, W. (2010). The implementation of green supply chain management practices in electronics industry. In World Congress on Engineering 2012. July 4-6, 2012. London, UK. (Vol. 2182, pp. 1563-1568). International Association of Engineers.
- Ramayah, T., Mohamad, O., Omar, A., Marimuthu, M., & Leen, J. Y. A. (2013). Green manufacturing practices and performance among SMEs: evidence from a developing nation. In Green technologies and business practices: an it approach (pp. 208-225). IGI Global. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-1972-2.ch013
- Ratnasingam, J., & Wagner, K. (2009). Green manufacturing practices among wooden furniture manufacturers in Malaysia. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, 67(4). doi: 10.1007/s00107-009-0341-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-009-0341-1
- Sangwan, K. S., & Choudhary, K. (2018). Benchmarking manufacturing industries based on green practices. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(6), 1746–1761. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij-12-2016-0192 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-12-2016-0192
- Sarkar, A., Qian, L., & Peau, A. K. (2020). Overview of green business practices within the Bangladeshi RMG industry: competitiveness and sustainable development perspective. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(18), 22888–22901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08816-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08816-y
- Schulte, P. A., McKernan, L. T., Heidel, D. S., Okun, A. H., Dotson, G. S., Lentz, T. J., Geraci, C. L., Heckel, P. E., & Branche, C. M. (2013). Occupational safety and health, green chemistry, and sustainability: a review of areas of convergence. Environmental Health, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069x-12-31 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-12-31
- Sezen, B., & Cankaya, S. Y. (2013). Effects of Green Manufacturing and Eco-innovation on Sustainability Performance. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 99, 154-163. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.481 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.481
- Sroufe, R., & Gopalakrishna-Remani, V. (2018). Management, Social Sustainability, Reputation, and Financial Performance Relationships: An Empirical Examination of U.S. Firms. Organisation & Environment, 32(3), 331–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026618756611 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026618756611
- Umar, M., Khan, S. A. R., Zia-ul-haq, H. M., Yusliza, M. Y., & Farooq, K. (2021). The role of emerging technologies in implementing green practices to achieve sustainable operations. The TQM Journal, 34(2), 232–249. https://doi.org/10.1108/tqm-06-2021-0172 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-06-2021-0172
- Wang, D., Si, R., & Fahad, S. (2022). Evaluating the small and medium sized enterprises motivating factors and influencing barriers about adoption of green practices. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 25(4), 3029–3041. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02166-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02166-0
- Wang, Z., Subramanian, N., Abdulrahman, M., & Liu, C. (2013). Composite practices to improve sustainability: A framework and evidence from Chinese auto-parts company. 2013 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. https://doi.org/10.1109/ieem.2013.6962570 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEM.2013.6962570
- Yadegaridehkordi, E., Foroughi, B., Iranmanesh, M., Nilashi, M., & Ghobakhloo, M. (2023). Determinants of environmental, financial, and social sustainable performance of manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 35, 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2022.10.026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2022.10.026
- Yongge, G., Jiyong, L. and Yunfeng, S. (2009). Performance evaluation of green supply chain management based on membership conversion algorithm. 2009 Second ISECS International Colloquium on Computing, Communication, Control, and Management, CCCM 2009.
Downloads
No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.
How to Cite
Share this article
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mashitah Mohamed Esa, Nor Fazilah Mohd Hashim, Mohd Shamsuri Khalid, Tooty Jamaludin (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.
Keywords
- Green Practices Search this journal for Green Practices (opens in a new tab)
- Sustainability Search this journal for Sustainability (opens in a new tab)
- Safety Benefit Search this journal for Safety Benefit (opens in a new tab)
- Organizational Performance Search this journal for Organizational Performance (opens in a new tab)
- Manufacturing Industry Search this journal for Manufacturing Industry (opens in a new tab)
Section
Published in
Vol. 18 No. 3(I) (2026)
Digital Transformation, Sustainability & Learning Innovation
View issue contents
Published
Submissions
Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.
Make a Submission