Introduction to Sustainable Manufacturing

Introduction to Sustainable Manufacturing

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Why is manufacturing becoming more environmentally conscious?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Is your company trying to cope with increasing environmental

regulation?

Are your customers demanding better environmental

performance and data?

Do you want to lower your energy and materials costs?

Are you interested in producing and marketing greener

products?

Sustainable manufacturing has both benefits and costs, but it can help make your
company more competitive. Let’s discuss sustainability in manufacturing in more
detail.
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 What is Sustainability?
A common definition of sustainable development is that
of the UN Brundtland Commission:

“Sustainable development is development that meets the

needs of the present without compromising the ability of
Environmental future generations to meet their own needs.” 1
(Planet)
You will also hear about the Triple Bottom Line2

This concept suggests that, in addition to its

Social Economic economic performance, a company must also
(People) (Profit) account for and focus on its environmental and
social performance to be truly sustainable.

Another common way of saying this is “people, planet,

profit”2 Sustainability is the intersection of these three
concepts.
Sustainability

1
Brundtland Commission of the United Nations
2
John Elkington, Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century business

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 The Environment and Manufacturing: Important Concepts

The intersection of the environment and manufacturing is discussed in many

different ways, often using terms that are not always clearly defined.

These ideas can be confusing, and it may be difficult to tell how they apply to your
business.

Here we will learn how to distinguish among several common concepts.

Click on each of the boxes to learn more:

Sustainable
Clean Technologies Green Products
Manufacturing

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 Sustainable Manufacturing
• The Green Suppliers Network (DOC/EPA) defines clean
manufacturing as “a systematic approach to eliminating waste
by optimizing use and selection of resources and technologies,
thereby lessening the impact on the environment.” 1

Terms You’ll Hear

• Green Manufacturing
• Sustainable manufacturing focuses on both how the product is • Cleaner Production
made as well as the product’s attributes. This includes the • Industrial Ecology
inputs, the manufacturing processes, and the product’s design. • Closed Loop
Production
• Sustainable manufacturing includes things such as making • Sustainable
products using less energy and materials, producing less waste, Production
and using fewer hazardous materials as well as products that • Eco-efficiency
have greener attributes such as recyclability or lower energy • Green Productivity
use. • Clean Manufacturing

• Sustainable manufacturing practices can range from very

simple process improvements to large investments in new
technologies and product redesign.

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Green Suppliers Network training
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 Clean Technologies
• Clean or Environmental Technologies are technologies associated
with things like environmental protection, assessment, compliance
with environmental regulations, pollution control and prevention,
waste management, remediation of contaminated property, design
• Environmental

Terms You’ll Hear

and operation of environmental infrastructure, and the provision Technologies
and delivery of environmental resources. 1 (envirotech)

• Green Technologies
• Renewable energy technologies are also considered to be clean (greentech)
technologies.
• Clean Technologies
(cleantech)
• Examples of clean technologies include technologies for
wastewater treatment, recycling, solid waste management, solar
panels and wind turbines.

• Many clean technologies can be used to green the manufacturing

process and are therefore important to sustainable manufacturing.

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U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Energy and Environmental Industries
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 Green Products
• Making “green products” can be seen as part of sustainable
manufacturing, and we will discuss it in more detail later in the
module.

Terms You’ll Hear

• Life Cycle Design
• Life Cycle Assessment
• A green product can be any product that is designed to reduce its (LCA)
environmental impact. A key concept is that environmental concerns • Cradle-to-Cradle
and impacts are taken into account from the beginning of the product • Cradle-to-Grave
design process. This is important because most of a product’s
• Environmentally-
environmental impact is determined in the design phase.
Sustainable Design
• Design for the
• The product may be made of recycled materials, designed so that it Environment (Dfe)
can be easily recycled, made without hazardous materials, or • Sustainable Product
produced with less packaging.1 Design
• Design for Eco-
• There are no accepted standards for what constitutes a “green efficiency
product,” although there are rules from the Federal Trade Commission • Eco-design
about making environmental marketing claims. • Design for
Sustainability (D4S)
• There are also many eco-labeling programs that are used to identify
and market green products, some of which are discussed in this
module.

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United Nations Environment Programme and Delft University of Technology “Design for Sustainability A Step-by-Step Approach.”
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 So What does Sustainable Manufacturing Mean in Practice?

Click on the images for some examples of sustainable manufacturing along the life cycle.

Using less
Using Using fewer Modifying packaging,
renewable materials and production lowering
materials that inputs and processes to use product weight,
don’t deplete materials that less energy, using more
the natural are non- water, and efficient
environment hazardous or materials and to transportation
recycled produce less and logistics
waste

Expanding the life

Working with
Designing your of the product,
stakeholders like
product to be making it easier to
customers and
reusable, repair or designing
retailers to reduce
remanufacturable, it to use fewer
recyclable, or the environmental
resources during use
biodegradeable impact of sales and
distribution

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Sustainability is a Journey, not a Destination

• Remember there is no such thing as a company with

no environmental impact. There is no sustainability
“destination”.

• Your goal should be continuous improvement –

making constant advances in your company’s overall
sustainability performance.

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 Evolution of Sustainable Manufacturing
For many years, the main environmental focus with regards to manufacturing was pollution abatement—
preventing the pollution that has been created from getting into the environment.

The attention has shifted to cleaner production and pollution prevention. With cleaner production, there are
many opportunities for cost savings and other financial benefits for companies. 11

Then: Pollution Control and Now: Cleaner

Treatment Production

• End-of-pipe pollution abatement • Pollution prevention at the source (i.e.

(wastewater treatment, air scrubbers energy efficiency, waste reduction)
and filters)
• Benefits include environmental
• Benefits include better environmental performance, regulatory compliance,
performance and regulatory compliance lower energy and material costs,
increased marketability of products and
• Not likely to produce direct financial brand, employee recruitment and
benefits retention, innovation, etc.

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“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in Industry: Enabling
Green Growth” OECD 10
 The Future: Industrial Ecology
• What is industrial ecology?
“the study of the physical, chemical, and
biological interactions and
interrelationships both within and
between industrial and ecological
systems”1
• It is based on systems thinking –
industry is an interdependent part of the
overall ecosystem.
• It studies the material and energy flows
through the system to find inefficiency
and waste.

1
Garner, Andy and Keoleian, Gregory A, Ph.D. National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education, “Industrial Ecology: An Introduction.”
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 Industrial Ecology: Towards a Closed Loop System
One of the goals of industrial ecology
Linear System
is to move industry from a linear to
a cyclical or closed system where Resources Production Consumption Waste

waste is used as an input rather than

disposed of.1

An advanced version of this would be Closed-Loop System

an Eco-Industrial Park where
Resources
companies design their products and
Energy
processes to use fewer virgin
materials and use each other’s
byproducts, coproducts, or wastes as Production Production
inputs.2

Does your company produce

Consumption
byproducts that could be used by
another company?

1
Garner, Andy and Keoleian, Gregory A, Ph.D. National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education, “Industrial Ecology: An Introduction.”
2
“Eco-Innovation in Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD
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 How do you Implement Sustainable Manufacturing?
It can be overwhelming to think about all the work that would be required to make your company more
sustainable.
However, there is a spectrum of efforts you can make towards sustainable manufacturing. Some involve more
effort and investment than others.1

New
Raw Material Technol
ogies
Process
Enab
able lower
Substitution
iz a ti o nMa Shifting to more resource New
Optim stments consum
p
Pro
d
djus environmentally
e
g
epin n king a esses to waste ge tion,
n e ra i o Mi Desig uct
s ek i to proc ciency sound inputs th nimiz n
Hou ements d emission t n, hrou e
o ve and effi gho impac
Impr ractices increase s ut p t
p ce lifec r od u s
work intenan y cl e ct
ma

Generally easier More Difficult

1
“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in
Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD 13
 Housekeeping
• Housekeeping is the simplest method of implementing sustainable
manufacturing practices.1
• Housekeeping can be as simple as better inventory management,
better monitoring and scheduling of the production process, reducing
loss from leaks, spillage, and drag-out, and making sure equipment is
maintained properly.
• It can also involve training your employees about sustainable
manufacturing.
Example

• Arctic Cat Inc., a snowmobile manufacturer based out of

Minnesota, ran three 200hp and one 30hp multipurpose air
compressors that cost more than $105,000 to operate
annually. They identified and fixed over 400 leaks in the
compressed air lines and started to shut down the
compressors at the end of the work days. Together, these
efforts saved $21,400 per year and reduced energy use by
390,000 kWh annually.22

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“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in Industry:
Enabling Green Growth” OECD
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“Arctic Cat Inc. Reduces Water, Energy, and Chemical Use.” Minnesota Technical Assistance Program.
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 Process Optimization
• Process optimization involves changing your manufacturing process to
minimize waste, conserve raw materials, and capture and reuse waste
materials.1
• There may be simple things you can do to change your production
process to become more sustainable.
• Maybe you can collect metal shavings for recycling, change the steps in
a painting process to use less paint, or rearrange your machines to
minimize movement.
Example

• Texas Tile Manufacturing LLC, a vinyl flooring

manufacturer, conducted an assessment of its
production processes and identified numerous areas
to conserve energy and cut costs. Replacing
traditional pilot lights in material heaters with spark
igniters, they were able to save approximately
$213,000 yearly on natural gas costs and through less
required maintenance on conveyor belts.22

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“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in
Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD
22
“Vinyl Flooring Texas Tile Manufacturing LLC, Additional Savings are a Pleasant Surprise.” DOE Industrial Technologies Program.
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 Raw Material Substitution
• Although it is challenging, you may be able to find ways to substitute greener
materials for hazardous materials, chemicals with high environmental or health
impacts, materials that are non-renewable, or those that are scarce. 1
• You may also be able to find ways to eliminate materials that are used during your
production process but don’t remain in the final product.
• Example: use water-based solvents rather than chemical solvents.
• If the materials you are eliminating are considered hazardous, this can help you
avoid regulatory costs associated with storage and disposal of materials.

Example
• North American Decal had used solvent-based inks which have
high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a
significant air pollutant. The company began transferring to
less harmful UV curable inks which are of a higher quality,
have a longer shelf life, and cure faster. Switching to UV
curable inks lowered maintenance costs, eliminated a printing
step, and even improved indoor air quality for the company’s
employees.22

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“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in
Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD
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“Raw Material Substitution: North American Decal” Environment Canada. 16
 New Technologies
• Utilizing new technologies involves incorporating more
environmentally responsible technologies and equipment into
your production process.1
• This can involve capital investments to purchase equipment that
uses less energy or materials or alternative energy production.
• For example, you might invest in more energy-efficient
production equipment, systems that reuse heat and energy, or
more advanced water treatment systems.
Example

• Harbec Plastics, a small injection

molding company in Ontario, New York,
switched its traditional hydraulic
injection molding presses to electric
ones. This technology change has
resulted in up to 50% energy savings
over hydraulic presses, reduced noise,
and shorter changeover and startup
times.22

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“Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in
Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD
22
“Economic Opportunities of Sustainable Manufacturing” Bob Bechtold, HARBEC Plastics, Inc.
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 New Product Design
• Design your product to be greener from the ground up.1 This concept touches on all of the
previous sustainable manufacturing concepts. It can even include redesign involving
rethinking how your product is used, and may involve:
– Using recycled materials instead of new ones
– Using renewable materials
– Designing for easy disassembly, for recycling, or for remanufacturing
– Using less packaging and more recycled or recyclable packaging

• Green product design can have the same benefits as other aspects of sustainable
manufacturing, including improved resource efficiency.

Example

• Herman Miller used design-for-the-environment

principles when it redesigned its well known
Aeron chair. The chairs are now made up of up
to 53% recycled materials and are 94%
recyclable. They are easily disassembled,
contain no PVC, and emit very low levels of
VOCs.22

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1 “Government Strategies and Policies for Cleaner Production.” United Nations Environmental Programme and “Eco-Innovation in
Industry: Enabling Green Growth” OECD
2 “Environmental Product Summary: Aeron Chair” Herman Miller
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 The Relationship Between Lean & “Green”:
(a.k.a. Lean and Clean)

• If your company already uses lean manufacturing practices, you may find it
is easier to integrate environmental principles into the lean process.

• Although lean does not traditionally focus on environmental issues, Lean’s

focus on eliminating waste can be adapted to look for environmental waste.

• The Green Suppliers Network (GSN) calls this “Lean and Clean”
manufacturing. GSN found that companies could save up to 30% more by
implementing lean and clean than if they implemented lean manufacturing
alone.1

1
Green Suppliers Network training
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 Environmental Waste
• EPA’s Lean and Environment Toolkit describes
environmental waste as “any unnecessary use of Traditional Wastes
resources or a substance released into the air, water, or Addressed by Lean:2
land that could harm human health or the environment.”1
DOWNTIME
•D efects
• Environmental Waste includes:
•O verproduction
– Any energy, water, or other materials used that are
•W aiting
more than what is really needed to meet the
customer’s needs •N on-utilized Resources
– Hazardous materials and substances •T ransportation
– Pollutants, residuals, and other material wastes •I nventory
released into the environment (air emissions, •M otion
wastewater discharges, hazardous wastes, solid •E xtra Processing
wastes)

• As mentioned previously, adding “clean” to lean can

result in significantly greater returns for your company.
The following chart outlines how lean wastes have an
environmental impact.

1
“Lean and Environment Toolkit,” EPA
2
“Green Suppliers Network Training” Green Suppliers Network. 20
 Adding Clean to Lean1
Lean Waste Environmental Impact

• Energy and materials are consumed to make

Defective Products or
defective products, and defective products
Components
need to be disposed of.

• Materials and energy are consumed to make

Overproduction of
unnecessary products. Products may spoil or
Components or Final become obsolete. Products may require hazardous
Products materials

• Materials may spoil or become damage. Downtime

Waiting wastes energy for heating, cooling, and lighting.

1
“Lean and Environment Toolkit,” EPA
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 Adding Clean to Lean (Cont.)
Lean Waste Environmental Impact

• Energy is used for transport and produces emissions.

Unnecessary Transport Transport can cause damage or spills. More space is
or Motion needed for additional motion, requiring heating and
cooling.

• More packaging and space is needed for excess

inventory. Storage could cause deterioration of products
Excess Inventory and waste. Requires energy to heat, cool, and light
inventory space.

• If processing is unnecessary, increases waste and energy

Extra Processing use. Consumes more parts and raw materials.

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 Conclusion
• In summary, you have learned:
– about some of the important concepts
related to sustainable manufacturing,
– how sustainable manufacturing has
evolved,
– how it can be implemented in a
manufacturing company, and
– how it can be integrated with existing
lean efforts.

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