10.4 Environmental Sustainability
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in many manufacturing industries are pollutants that can seep into the environment
during waste disposal and cause serious degradation of the natural environment
around it.
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products can also cause serious side effects
to the environment. Microbeads, for example, are common in many healthcare
and beauty products. They are essentially manufactured plastic particles, less than
one millimeter in size. However, these have now been proven to have little or no
beneficial health effect, but can cause a huge buildup in plastic concentrations within
aquatic environments, particularly the ocean. Microbeads are particularly damaging
to the environment, as unlike some other plastic sources, they are so small that they
cannot be filtered by our sewage systems.
The manufacturing industry as a whole must take into account of such examples
and make changes to their waste management and resource use to make their enterprises more sustainable. A large number of manufacturers are now just beginning
to realize that there are significant environmental benefits to incorporating more
environmentally friendly and sustainable business practices that, by association, also
come with financial benefits too.
Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through
processes that minimize negative environmental impacts and conserve natural
resources, while still remaining economically sound (Despeisse et al. 2012).
Manufacturing in this way also enhances employee, product, and community safety.
A growing number of companies are now treating “environmental sustainability” as
an extremely important objective in their strategies and operations as a means to
increase their growth and competitiveness.
Discuss companies that have embedded sustainable manufacturing into their
practices.
There are a number of measures that can be used to make manufacturing more
sustainable, predominantly in three areas:
Area 1: Reduction of Production Inputs
Many companies can opt for pre-used materials, which reduces waste production.
Additionally, alternative materials can be used that are considered less environmentally damaging. A reduction in the use of solvents in building insulation,
for example, can cut down chemical waste that ends up in the environment and
decreases employees’ exposure to hazardous materials.
Area 2: Improving Facility Operations Efficiency
There is a new concept in business known as “the factory of the 21st century in
harmony with nature.” This essentially goes by the notion that a manufacturing plant
is built in a location using local supplies, such as timber, within the space that it
is replacing. Additionally, it is designed so that it sustains itself and neutralizes
269
in many manufacturing industries are pollutants that can seep into the environment
during waste disposal and cause serious degradation of the natural environment
around it.
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products can also cause serious side effects
to the environment. Microbeads, for example, are common in many healthcare
and beauty products. They are essentially manufactured plastic particles, less than
one millimeter in size. However, these have now been proven to have little or no
beneficial health effect, but can cause a huge buildup in plastic concentrations within
aquatic environments, particularly the ocean. Microbeads are particularly damaging
to the environment, as unlike some other plastic sources, they are so small that they
cannot be filtered by our sewage systems.
The manufacturing industry as a whole must take into account of such examples
and make changes to their waste management and resource use to make their enterprises more sustainable. A large number of manufacturers are now just beginning
to realize that there are significant environmental benefits to incorporating more
environmentally friendly and sustainable business practices that, by association, also
come with financial benefits too.
Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through
processes that minimize negative environmental impacts and conserve natural
resources, while still remaining economically sound (Despeisse et al. 2012).
Manufacturing in this way also enhances employee, product, and community safety.
A growing number of companies are now treating “environmental sustainability” as
an extremely important objective in their strategies and operations as a means to
increase their growth and competitiveness.
Discuss companies that have embedded sustainable manufacturing into their
practices.
There are a number of measures that can be used to make manufacturing more
sustainable, predominantly in three areas:
Area 1: Reduction of Production Inputs
Many companies can opt for pre-used materials, which reduces waste production.
Additionally, alternative materials can be used that are considered less environmentally damaging. A reduction in the use of solvents in building insulation,
for example, can cut down chemical waste that ends up in the environment and
decreases employees’ exposure to hazardous materials.
Area 2: Improving Facility Operations Efficiency
There is a new concept in business known as “the factory of the 21st century in
harmony with nature.” This essentially goes by the notion that a manufacturing plant
is built in a location using local supplies, such as timber, within the space that it
is replacing. Additionally, it is designed so that it sustains itself and neutralizes