International Symposium on Research in Innovation and Sustainability 2014 (ISoRIS ’14) 15-16 October 2014, Malacca, Malaysia Special Issue Sci.Int.(Lahore),26(5),1691-1695,2014 ISSN 1013-5316; CODEN: SINTE 8 1691 EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PRACTICES AND SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE AMONG MALAYSIAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS Norsiah Hami 1 , Mohd Razali Muhamad 2 , Zuhriah Ebrahim 2 1 School of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah. 2 Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100, Durian Tunggal, Malacca. Email: norsiahami@uum.edu.my ABSTRACT : This paper explores the sustainable manufacturing practices (SMP) and sustainability performance (SP) among Malaysian manufacturing firms from diverse industries. Using survey data collected from 150 firms, the current state of SMP and SP in Malaysia has been examined. The results show moderate to considerable extent of implementation of internal SMP and external SMP with high technology industries are found to be the greatest implementers of both types of practices. Meanwhile, the findings of the study indicate the ability of firms to achieve better SP in the last three years with economic benefits are still the dominant factor in embracing SMP compared to the environmental and social consideration. Besides providing a better understanding of the elements of SMP and SP, this paper is expected to increase the level of awareness of sustainability issues and promoting the implementation of the SMP in manufacturing industries. KEYWORDS: Sustainable manufacturing practices; sustainability performance; survey-based approach; descriptive analysis 1.0 INTRODUCTION With the growing concern on sustainability issues, globally or locally, sustainable manufacturing (SM) strategies have drawn attention. However, the accountability of manufacturing industries in improving environmental and social performance is still questionable. There are only a few firms who are considering and integrating aspects of sustainability into their operations [1]. Based on a survey- based study in five Caribbean countries, it was revealed that the majority of manufacturing firms has little knowledge on the concept of SM and the implementation of sustainable practices is still low [2]. Recently, conducting a comparative study on corporate social responsibility (CSR) among textile firms in China and Brazil, Abreu et al. found that CSR practices still not widely adopted in textile industry in both countries [3]. Performing a study on the implementation of sustainability methodologies among Swedish engineering firms, Short et al. concluded that there are still barriers and perceived risks that preventing the firms to fully integrate sustainability aspects into their business operations [4]. In Malaysia, the implementation of sustainable practices, in the perspective of CSR, is still growing and the implementation is based on seasonal activities [5]. Conducting a study on the level of adoption of green supply chain initiatives among ISO 14001 certified manufacturing firms, ElTayeb and Zailani found that green supply chain initiatives are not highly adopted in Malaysia despite the importance of such initiatives to the firms and society [6]. An interesting result has found by Jafartayari who studied the awareness of sustainable manufacturing practices (SMP) among 36 Malaysian manufacturing firms from various industries such as electrical and electronic, engineering supporting and machinery, and others [7]. Though the level of awareness on sustainability and 6R approach (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, redesign, remanufacture) is quite high, reflected by the better understanding of the concepts, the adoption of sustainable practices is still in the modest level. Although there are some studies on the implementation of the SMP in Malaysia, most of the them tend to focus on the specific context of practices such as green practices [6,7,8] or CSR practices [5,9]. Therefore, by considering SMP in a broader context to include both environmental and social responsible practices, the present study aims to investigate the current state of the implementation of the SMP as well as the sustainability performance (SP) achieved among Malaysian manufacturing firms. This paper is organized as follows. Section 2 reviews the literature especially on SM, SP and SMP. The subsequent two sections discuss the research method applied in the present study and the results of the study. Finally, the conclusion is presented in the last section. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Sustainable Manufacturing (SM) and Sustainability Performance (SP) Sustainability and SM have been defined in various ways in the literature. Some researchers viewed SM as production methods or technologies that focus on environmental protection while pursuing economic development. For example, Madu defined SM as the means for manufacturers to add the most value to their products and services by making the most efficient use of the earth’s limited resources, generating the least pollution to the environment, and targeting for environmentally clean production systems [10]. Allwood described SM as the developing technologies to transform materials without the emission of greenhouse gases, use of non-renewable or toxic materials or generation of waste [11]. Extending the tendency of defining sustainability into merely being environmentally friendly, SM is defined as the creation of manufactured products that use processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural resources, and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers [12]. Three aspects of sustainable yield are identified namely economic, environmental and social, implying that SM is not simply assumed as value creation’s processes that aim to enhance economic and environmental performance but also includes the achievement in the social aspect. Recognizing the interdependence of the three pillars of sustainability (i.e. economic, environmental, and social), the