Sustainability has become a global priority in response to the effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and pressure on natural resources. In this context, production processes play a central role due to their high impact on energy consumption, waste generation, and socio-labor dynamics. However, the transition toward sustainable models faces multiple technical, economic, and regulatory challenges that hinder effective implementation. This article presents a narrative review focused on analyzing approaches, practices, technologies, and limitations associated with sustainability in production processes. The main objective is to synthesize recent developments and examine the opportunities and barriers faced by various industrial sectors in adopting sustainable strategies. The methodology involved an exploratory search of relevant scientific and technical literature, selecting sources that comprehensively addressed environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The documents were organized into five thematic axes: theoretical foundations, sector-specific practices, technology and resource efficiency, regulations and certifications, and common challenges. The results show that sectors such as textiles and chemicals have made significant progress using clean technologies, tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and international certifications (ISO 14001, WRAP). Nonetheless, limitations related to profitability, regulatory complexity, and scalability of solutions persist. It is concluded that productive sustainability requires a comprehensive and adaptive approach, supported by technological innovation, multisectoral cooperation, and the strengthening of institutional capacities to accelerate the transition toward more responsible and resilient models.
