Lean Construction and Sustainability Through IGLC Community: A Critical Systematic Review of 25 Years of Experience

Abstract

It has been argued that Lean Construction (LC) offers the conceptual basis and the appropriate methods and tools needed for helping the construction industry meet the challenges of sustainable development. Since 1998, a growing body of knowledge has been emerging from the IGLC community, in relation to synergies between LC and Sustainability. Both seek to reduce waste and maximise value, but through different approaches and perspectives. The most common mistake, however, is a tool-focused framework for integration, which overlooks the conceptual differences between these two initiatives. The aim of this study, therefore, is to review the progress made in understanding the linkages and inconsistencies between the two initiatives, through conducting a critical systematic literature review (SLR) and synthesising the findings of ‘LC and Sustainability’ studies published in IGLC conferences over the past 25 years. The findings of the study provide an overview of previous studies about the topic, reveal major limitations in approaches to LC and Sustainable Construction (SC), and divulge significant opportunities for further work that remain unexplored.