Although research on sustainable manufacturing practices (SMPs) is expanding, few studies adopt a lifecycle-wide lens that integrates product design, manufacturing processes, supply chain management and end-of-life practices. This study aims to address that gap by examining how technological, organisational and environmental (TOE) factors influence SMP adoption and how distinct SMP dimensions affect environmental and economic performance within Ghana’s food manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME).
Survey data from 177 managers in Ghana’s SME-dominated food manufacturing sector were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Organisational and environmental factors significantly drive SMP adoption, while technological factors show limited influence. Among the SMP dimensions, sustainable product design (SPDesign) and end-of-life management (SPEOL) strongly enhance performance, whereas sustainable manufacturing (SPManuf) and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) have weaker effects. The findings suggest that internal capabilities and external pressures shape SME sustainability agendas, influencing practices across supply chain tiers.
This study integrates the TOE framework with the natural resource-based view to offer a comprehensive understanding of SMP adoption in resource-constrained settings. It extends the sustainable manufacturing literature by contextualising SMPs within developing economies and showing how lifecycle-wide sustainability outcomes are shaped by firm-level capabilities, upstream suppliers and downstream stakeholders. While the analysis is firm-centric, the findings reveal multi-tier dynamics and networked sustainability strategies.
