Cleaner production and pollution prevention at the electronic and electric Mexican maquiladora
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the deepening understanding of the diverging pollution prevention (PP) and occupational and safety practices undertaken in the Mexican maquiladora industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was outlined by a modified version of the PP Program based on a continuous improvement cycle, which identifies areas of opportunity and then, proposes ideas for solving problems. This study was carried out based merely on a quantitative approach. However, when this was not possible, parameters were determined under a qualitative or semi-quantitative approach.
Findings
Findings in this study have proven that Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention (CP&PP) programs are successful to obtain not only environmental but also occupational benefits at the same time; therefore, they should not be seem only as an environmental tool but as a sustainability tool that have the potential to make possible the creation of a sustainable production system in the maquiladora industry where products and processes, and operations are designed to be not risky for Mexican workers, communities, and environment.
Practical implications
The study revealed empirical environmental and occupational practices that took place in nine maquiladoras located in the Northwest of Mexico and analyzes how these practices affect Mexican workers in this industry and their environment.
Originality/value
The study evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of CP&PP programs in the maquiladora industry under an integrative approach that takes into account environmental and occupational aspect in order to understand how this industry is changing their production patterns toward sustainability.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to thank to all study's participants for their inputs, time, and effort. The authors also want to recognize and thank to PROMEP for providing the funds to conduct this research for the megaproject “Supporting integration of thematic networks of academic cooperation,” through the network “Sustainability, Industrial Ecology and Cleaner Production”.
Citation
Velazquez, L., Munguia, N., Zavala, A., Esquer, J., Will, M. and Delakowitz, B. (2014), "Cleaner production and pollution prevention at the electronic and electric Mexican maquiladora", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 25 No. 5, pp. 600-614. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-02-2013-0011
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited