A social performance metrics framework for sustainable manufacturing

Abstract

Manufacturing companies are under constant pressure from stakeholders to achieve higher sustainability levels, especially in terms of environmental and social aspects. Although social performance is not a new topic in operations management, it is the least explored pillar of the triple bottom-line approach. Metrics for the assessment of social performance levels remain scarce, which limits those companies that are willing to involve them in decision-making processes. This situation can be attributed to the difficulty of finding sufficiently comparable, widespread, and quantifiable social metrics. Therefore, the present study aims to provide a broader perspective of social performance, including both internal and external metrics. With the goal of providing a more holistic performance assessment, and based on findings present in the current literature, a social performance metrics framework is proposed. The framework proposes a three-layer approach, which allows companies to strengthen their social performance evaluation, based on internal metrics, while dealing with more complex external metrics.