Lean Service 5.0 in Dairy Production: An Empirical Evaluation From the Perspective of the Sociotechnical and Circular Economy Approach

The Lean Service 5.0 concept improves service operations through sociotechnical innovation, while the Circular Economy enables sustainable processes. Thus, this research aims to empirically diagnose the key enablers of adopting LS5.0 in the dairy production system from the ce perspective. To achieve this objective, we conducted a multiple case study through structured qualitative interviews with eight dairy farmers from two of the largest milk‐producing regions of Brazil, followed by a content analysis. The results indicated four central factors: digital transformation, value co‐creation, LS5.0 implementation and ce concepts, presented as guidelines for applying LS5.0 in the dairy sector to support sustainable agro‐industrial activities. The findings highlighted that LS5.0 technologies were key enablers for farmers to promote ce in the dairy supply chain, followed by management systems and continuous improvement. This study offers empirical and theoretical support for developing dairy systems, contributing to academic research and supporting professionals.