Taylor and Francis Group, International Journal of Production Research, 17(53), p. 5207-5223
DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2015.1012603
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Sustainable manufacturing has been the subject of debate in the last few years, among both researchers and industrialists. Manufacturing activities have been regarded as among the most important factors which have caused major damage to planet. The aim of this paper is to scientifically develop a world class sustainable manufacturing (WCSM) framework. The study uses a structured questionnaire which was developed using extant literature and pre-tested to check content validity. The data were collected following a modified version of Dillman’s (2007) total design method to improve the quality of response. The psychometric properties of the instrument including reliability and construct validity were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis for hypotheses testing, and Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach for testing goodness of fit. We find that the scale and items of our theoretical framework meet the criteria. The multiple regression analysis output suggests that all our hypotheses are supported, which further supports the extant literature. Our present study is unique in terms of scope and its contribution to the theory and practice of supply chain management. This study has empirically tested the research calls of various researchers, extended them to world class sustainable manufacturing practices and further developed a scale for the measurement of the framework.