Machingura, TinotendaAdetunji, OlufemiMaware, Catherine2026-04-082026-04-082025-11Machingura, T., Adetunji, O., Maware, C. 2025, 'A structural model for assessing the impact of lean-green barriers on sustainable performance', International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 2842-2859. DOI 10.1108/IJQRM-08-2024-0263.0265-671X (print)1758-6682 (online)10.1108/IJQRM-08-2024-0263http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109458PURPOSE : The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of internal and external barriers on Lean-Green manufacturing during its post-implementation phase. Examining the impact of Lean-Green manufacturing on the environmental, economic and social performance of organisations is also an aim of the study. The study further explores the inter-relationships between environmental, economic and social performance. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : Data was gathered from the Zimbabwean manufacturing industry, of which 302 valid responses were obtained and analysed through structural equation modelling using SMART PLS. FINDINGS : The results showed that both internal and external barriers impede organisations from improving economic, social and environmental performance measures, and hence, deserve attention. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : The study concentrated on Zimbabwe’s manufacturing industry; hence, the results may need further validation before they can be adopted by other countries and industries. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : Through analysing the impact of internal and external barriers on Lean-Green, organisations can understand which barriers greatly affect them and they can allocate resources accordingly to address them. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : Existing studies focused on identifying and ranking the barriers faced during Lean-Green implementation. This study identifies the Lean-Green barriers that are faced post-implementation and examines their relationship with Lean-Green Manufacturing and sustainable performance. Thus, outlining a clear picture of the extent to which these barriers hinder the attainment of sustainable development improvements.en© Tinotenda Machingura, Olufemi Adetunji and Catherine Maware. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.Lean manufacturingGreen manufacturingBarriersSustainable developmentArticle