Manufacturing
Production, Design and Risk Management
FEATURED CASE STUDY
Patagonia
Through its Common Threads program, customers are encouraged to return garments to retail stores for recycling.
Key Opportunities
Just Getting Started?
See the five fundamental steps you can take to understand your company's biggest environmental opportunities.
The manufacturing sector accounts for nearly one-fifth of U.S. direct greenhouse gas emissions and companies are being asked to cut emissions and make their operations more efficient. In addition to reducing direct manufacturing footprints, companies are also driving efficiencies and environmental improvement throughout their supply chains.
Make your operations more environmentally friendly
- Design for the environment- Understanding up front how a product will be manufactured and disposed of helps designers select better materials, minimize packaging and make other changes to reduce environmental impact. Read about: The Designer’s Accord.
- Mitigate toxics & nanotechnology risks - Ensure your suppliers have mitigated the risks from consumer products and packaging containing nanomaterials.
- Reduce waste - implement Lean Manufacturing to eliminate waste while delivering quality products on time at the least cost,
- Improve energy efficiency - Implement programs to reduce your use of energy in your buildings and the manufacturing process.
- Increase water efficiency - Tweak your manufacturing processes to reduce and reuse water.
Collaborate with your customers and suppliers
- Address climate change - Optimize your supply chain management (SCM) system to include a new variable – energy and carbon. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs by locating facilities appropriately to minimize transport distances. Provide incentives for employees to choose efficient modes of transportation and identify energy saving opportunities.
- Examine your supply chain - Work with your suppliers to implement tracking systems and programs to minimize risks associated with product sourcing.
- Be part of the solution - Design and manufacture products that conserve energy and natural resources, such as renewable power systems, environmentally preferable cleaning products and devices that save water.
Examples: What manufacturers are doing
- Johnson & Johnson a leading producer of health-care products, has seen over $30 million in annual savings through energy efficiency efforts in building and manufacturing processes.
- Footwear giant Nike designed the latest Air Jordan sneaker with parts that “fit together like a jigsaw puzzle” to reduce use of toxic adhesives in the manufacturing process. Other materials in the shoe include recycled PET bottles and ground up factory waste.
- Many of the largest U.S. manufacturers have joined the US Climate Action Partnership, a group of businesses and leading environmental organizations that have come together to call on the federal government to quickly enact strong national legislation to require significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted: 29-Oct-2008; Updated: 14-May-2009
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