Lean and Sustainable Framework for Solar Panel Recycling in Finland: A Systematic Literature Review
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The popularity of solar power is increasing rapidly in Finland, although a solar panel has a useful
life of about 25–30 years before it becomes waste. The recycling of solar panels is also applicable
since Finland has set an objective of carbon neutrality by 2035. While the previous studies pre
dominantly concentrated on the recycling technology and the circular economy concepts, oper
ational challenges like long distances, waiting time, repeated handling, and bad sorting have
been addressed less. These are problems that can get more complicated in Finland due to the
long travel distances, cold winter weather, and the low population density. The overall research
question of this thesis is, "What is the potential for using lean management principles in solar
panel recycling systems in Finland for the sake of operational efficiency and sustainability?
Following the screening and selection process, 49 studies were included in the final review. The
matic synthesis analysis was used to analyse the findings, and they were summarised under the
five core themes.
The thesis introduces Finnish cases of value stream mapping (VSM) for the redesign of collection
routes between Oulu and Helsinki, 6S for workplace organisation and sorting in Tampere, and
kaizen for continuous small improvements in Kuopio's collection hub. The study also suggests
the use of measurable parameters like lead time, sorting accuracy, material recovery rate, and
cost per ton for measuring the operational