Relationship between 5S Implementation and Green Performance of Malaysian Manufacturing SMEs: A Conceptual Model

Because of the global sustainability agenda, environmental factors are increasingly becoming a priority in the implementation of management practices and competitiveness strategies. Management system such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 has the ability to improve company performance toward achieving market competitiveness. However, many companies especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are unable to perform these practices. Despite the importance of manufacturing SMEs as a major contributor for the world economic development and environmental pollution, they face resource constraints on resolving environmental issues. As an alternative to existing approaches, the concept of green management with emphasis on green performance improvement, namely in operation and environmental aspects has been introduced. In this context, 5S practice is an approach that is widely used to improve fi rm performance without requiring a large investment. The 5S implementation has now evolved from the concept of operational to green performance. However, the successful implementation of 5S depends on the characteristics and internal factors of a company. This study primarily aIMS to examine to what extent the 5S concept has been treated as green management practices in the Malaysian manufacturing SMEs. In this study, several hypotheses and a conceptual model of the relationship between 5S implementation and green performance has been built. In the proposed model, several factors that include strategic planning, commitment and implementation procedures have been identifi ed to infl uence the successful implementation of 5S to achieve green performance.