Sustainable 3R initiative practices in the Sri Lankan large-scale leather footwear industry

Abstract

The leather footwear manufacturing process generates hazardous waste during production, which impacts sustainability. Due to this, industries tend to implement sustainable practices. This research focuses on identifying and recording the sustainable waste management practices of the large-scale leather footwear industry. Taking into account the industry complexity and requirements for doing an in-depth investigation, a single case study has been adopted. Working experience of 10 years in Industry and knowledge specific to the relevant production stage were key considerations in purposive sample selection in the study. Semi-structured interviews of 30-minute sessions are conducted in parallel to observational factory visits to improve the clarity of research findings. Interviews were conducted in Sinhala considering the workers' linguistic knowledge for data interpretation. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables is determined using the content analysis method. The current sustainable waste management practices were identified within the research study. The study revealed the findings on reducing, reusing, and recycling sustainable initiative practices of the large-scale leather footwear industry which can be adopted for small and medium-scale manufacturing sectors of the footwear industry in Sri Lanka.