Interaction and prioritisation of barriers to green deployment of operational excellence projects in the manufacturing sector

PurposeDespite the existence of some studies around green outcomes and the green deployment of operational excellence (OPEX) strategies, the analysis of the interaction and prioritisation of their implementation barriers has been neglected. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction and prioritisation of barriers to green deployment of OPEX projects in the manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachIn line with the organisational capability and fuzzy set theories, we employed different multi-criteria decision-making techniques to model the interaction and prioritisation of barriers.FindingsOur findings indicate a significant complexity in how the barriers interact and are prioritised so they can be effectively mitigated to facilitate the green deployment of OPEX projects.Originality/valueThis is an original study for a paradigm shift enlightening the view of manufacturing managers, process owners and OPEX practitioners when mitigating the barriers to green deployment of OPEX projects to maintain more resource and energy-efficient OPEX projects with sustained outcomes.