Manufacturers Embracing The Green Culture

We live in a society that has developed an eagerness for the consumption of material goods. Over time manufacturing companies have invested in cheap and easily accessible materials due to ever-growing customer demands. Unfortunately, this has led to the development of a fossil fuel-dependent economy. It’s becoming increasingly important to adopt new practices that will help improve the sustainability of your business.

Here are four ways you can invest soundly in sustainability to reduce your carbon footprint and increase the use of recyclable materials.

1. Recycling plastics

Researchers have suggested that if nothing changes in our consumption of plastic, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish by 2050! Plastic was invented in 1907, since then 8.3 billion metric tons of non-recycled plastic have been produced, generating 6.3 billion metric tons of waste, 79% of which has piled up in landfills.

It’s now or never for companies to start being accountable for their contribution to plastic pollution and begin recycling. Leading the way is Texas Instruments, an American technology company that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits. The company makes significant investments to efficiently use, reuse, or recycle materials across its operations, recycling more than 85% of their plastic waste due to integrated environmental management systems.

2. Sustainability

Most manufacturing businesses will need to interact with other companies in order to source raw materials and parts. A key way to make your firm more eco-friendly is to use environmentally-responsible partners. This could be something simply such as switching you packaging supplier, or changing to a green energy supplier.

The international company IKEA invested in sustainability throughout its whole supply chain. The Swedish furniture-maker has sourced close to 50 percent of its wood from sustainable foresters and 100 percent of its cotton from farms that meet the ‘Better Cotton Standards’. Not only have they focused on the supply chain, IKEA has more than 700,000 solar panels powering its stores.

3. Carbon Footprint

A businesses carbon footprint includes direct emissions, such as driving a car, or the emissions required to consume any goods and services. The United States, is home to only 4 percent of the world’s population, but contributes 25 percent to the world’s greenhouse gases, having a detrimental impact on the environment.

Fighting back is Siemens, the worlds largest industrial manufacturer. They have pledged to be completely carbon neutral by the year 2030. Investing over $100 million into reducing their carbon footprint. To achieve their target the company will increase its use of renewable energy such as natural gas and wind power, whilst also investing in low-emission vehicles and e-mobility concepts.

4. New Technology

Outdated technology uses a lot more energy than necessary. Updating the tools and equipment you use in your manufacturing processes will reduced energy wastage, increase productivity levels and eliminate the possibility for human error leading to faulty products.

The trailblazing automotive companyTesla, not only develop some of the worlds most eco-friendly vehicles, they have also invested $5 billion in a new Giga-factory. Their aim to automate 100% of their processes to reduce energy consumption and factory waste whilst drastically improving productivity.

Sustainability is a major challenge for businesses large and small, although reassuringly a number of large companies are developing forward-thinking sustainability policies to help protect the planet.

If you need help with a technological manufacturing solution, be it new or existing, we can help bring your ideas to life.

Contact us today to discuss future proofing your business!