What is sustainable manufacturing?

There is no question that the manufacturing industry is vital to our world, but the fact is that many of the materials and processes used in modern manufacturing are also posing a threat to our world. The result is greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater contamination, massive energy consumption and other problems that impact our environment.

With the manufacturing industry being the third largest contributor of greenhouse gases in 2021, it’s not a wonder that organizations in this sector are now avidly pursuing sustainable manufacturing practices to meet net zero targets and decrease their carbon footprint.

A recent global Oracle survey found that 91% of business leaders are looking to invest in projects to advance their sustainability goals. Many of those in the manufacturing industry will be turning to engineers to take on these projects.

So what is sustainable manufacturing?

While this is a broad term, sustainable manufacturing processes include increasing efficiency, reducing waste, and working to achieve net zero targets with green chemistry, renewable energy, lean manufacturing and other such processes.

Engineers in charge of advancing sustainability goals in their companies and organizations will find that it can be a challenging balancing act. They must ask themselves questions like:

• How do I find time to locate the information I need in new areas of interest – and keep up-to-date on cutting-edge research?
• How do I balance my company’s needs with costs, investor expectations and consumer demand?
• Which options provide the most favorable risk-benefit ratio?
• Which changes will best help us meet our sustainability goals while also protecting the bottom line?

It’s good to proceed by thinking of sustainable manufacturing not only as a challenge, but also as an incredible opportunity. Ultimately, sustainable processes will not just be about doing the right thing for our planet, but they will also be standard for any successful business. Today’s engineers and their innovative work pave the way for that future.

Why is this a critical time for sustainable manufacturing?

1.???? Programs and initiatives are available now to incentivize organizations to embrace sustainability. These include federal programs in the U.S. that provide support and funding for sustainability projects like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the €130 billion European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus, and the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund, to name just a few.

2.???? Changing regulations. Around the world, governments have moved to create standards and regulations and impose guidelines that will cut down emissions and require manufacturers to consider the long-term impacts of their practices. Companies need to be prepared to adapt to these ever-evolving regulatory measures.

3.???? Consumers. The customers themselves are demanding more and more that companies adopt environmentally friendly practices and materials. As people become increasingly aware of the impacts of the climate crisis, they are expecting organizations to do more to decrease their carbon footprint.

4.???? The need to stay competitive. Manufacturing companies must keep ahead of the competition, which often begins with establishing efficient operations that evolve with the industry. Running a production facility that has double the energy demand of your competitor means charging higher prices, reducing your competitive edge within the market. Sustainable practices, process intensification and green chemistry principles help companies produce higher-quality, competitive products while reducing waste and energy consumption.

What resources are available to engineers interested in sustainable manufacturing?

The pursuit of sustainability demands practical tools and reliable knowledge sources. Elsevier’s R&D solutions can help engineers with everything from materials research to workflow support:

• Inform initial project scope, collaboration opportunities and horizon scanning with Scopus
• Dive deeper with full-length literature and material properties data in ScienceDirect
• Accelerate R&D with valuable insights and engineering best practices with resources and tools from Knovel
• Explore green chemistry solutions and assess the impact of bringing in biobased materials with Reaxys
• License authoritative, curated data and metadata from Elsevier to unlock hidden insights and support your machine learning workflows

Interested in learning more?

On our page dedicated to “Sustainable manufacturing in the chemicals industry”, you can learn about:

*The principles of green chemistry, which can help minimize the environmental, economic and health impacts of chemical production

*Materials driving sustainable manufacturing in the chemical industry (e.g. sustainable packaging, biomass feedstocks, battery materials)

*A roadmap toward universal sustainability

And much more. To stay competitive in our changing world, there is no time like the present to explore sustainable practices in manufacturing.

#Elsevier #Sustainability #Manufacturing