Sustainable Manufacturing Practices and Operational Performance of Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between sustainable manufacturing practices and operational performance of manufacturing firms in Nairobi, Kenya. Two theories anchored the study; institutional theory and the resource-based theory. A descriptive design of a cross-sectional type was used in the study. The target respondents were 59 respondents from manufacturing firms in Nairobi. Primary data was collected from the respondents using structured questionnaires through drop and pick method. The questionnaires had three sections. Section A addressed the demographic information. Section B addressed statement on sustainable manufacturing practices while section C addressed statements on operational performance. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as means and standard deviation. The inferential statistics was undertaken by performing 5 regression analyses. The study found that sustainable manufacturing practices have a significant impact on operational performance in manufacturing firms in Nairobi, Kenya. The study thus recommends the manufacturing sectors to invest and enhance on sustainable manufacturing practices within all the dimensions of their firms so as to improve operational performance.