Application of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods in Sustainable Manufacturing Management: A Systematic Literature Review and Analysis of the Prospects

Due to increasing environmental regulation and customers’ demand for environmentally friendly products, organizations have been required to adopt sustainable manufacturing practices by implementing clean technology (Cleantec) to manufacture green products. By adopting environmental practices, organizations can also achieve qualitative and quantitative benefits that help them remain competitive in the market while meeting governmental environmental policies, such as lowering energy and the cost of materials. The significant number of articles addressing sustainability in manufacturing published in the past few years attests to the importance of the topic. However, not many studies have been developed to understand the decision-making process in sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review on the application of multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) methods in sustainable manufacturing. A total of 158 papers, published between 2009 and 2018, met the criteria set in the research methodology. The 158 papers were then analyzed and classified into seven categories: (i) SM domain, (ii) activity within the organization, (iii) decision goals, (iv) decision-makers involved (group or individual), (v) uncertain data, (vi) SM aspects (social, environmental, and economic), and (vii) MADM methods. Among the results, we identified that AHP is the most applied MADM method and, regarding the activities of the organization, MADM methods have been the most frequently applied to strategy management and supply chain. We also identified a tendency to consider uncertain and imprecise data in the decision-making process. Another result is that all the three domains — economic, environmental and social — were considered in most of the papers, followed by the combination of the economic and environmental perspectives. In the conclusion, some recent trends and future research directions are highlighted.