The Lean-Circular Transition in Morocco: Evidence from the Manufacturing and Construction Sectors

Abstract

The depletion of natural resources and growing environmental pressure have prompted interest in linking Lean management and the circular economy as complementary approaches to sustainable industrial transformation. This article offers a narrative review of the literature on how both paradigms interact, with particular attention to the Moroccan context, an angle still scarcely explored in the specialised literature. It examines the synergy mechanisms, enabling conditions, barriers and performance outcomes documented in recent studies on Moroccan manufacturing and construction SMEs. The review shows that Lean tools such as value stream mapping and 5S frequently serve as operational foundations for implementing circular economy principles. Persistent tensions are also identified, among them the risk of a narrow interpretation of Lean, which may constrain the systemic thinking that genuine circularity requires. The Moroccan evidence reveals that small and medium-sized enterprises increasingly draw on Circular Lean Six Sigma 4.0 and Lean Construction practices, although institutional barriers, particularly around public procurement governance, continue to constrain their translation into sustained circular outcomes. The synergy between Lean and the circular economy holds considerable potential, whose realisation requires rethinking Lean from a broader value-retention perspective, adapted to Morocco's institutional conditions.