- Published 23 Jan 2024
- Last Modified 23 Jan 2024
- 7 min
What is Sustainable Manufacturing?
The future of the planet depends on businesses everywhere becoming more sustainable. Manufacturing accounts for a large proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions and that means it has a major part to play in reaching net zero. But what exactly does sustainable manufacturing involve, and how can you go about implementing it? Read on to find out.
Reviewed by David Carmichael, Solution Engineer (December 2023)
You hear about it more and more, but just what is sustainable manufacturing? Sustainable manufacturing is manufacturing that is environmentally, economically and socially responsible. It makes the most of resources rather than wasting them and manufactures without polluting. Sustainable manufacturing conserves energy. And it does the right thing for employees, consumers and local communities.
Read our guide to find out about the importance of sustainable manufacturing in today’s climate and how to make your manufacturing operation more sustainable.
Why is Sustainable Manufacturing Important?
Sustainable manufacturing is important for numerous reasons. Perhaps the number one reason is the environmental impact that manufacturing has. More than a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions come from industry. That’s because manufacturing sectors use a lot of energy.
Any company that wants to adopt green manufacturing has a duty to pare back energy usage if it is serious about wanting to help fight climate change. That obligation is not only common sense (reducing energy cuts costs), it is also being legislated. For example, the British Government announced new, tougher restrictions on carbon emissions from energy-intensive industries and aviation in July 2023.
Sustainable manufacturing cuts waste of not only energy but raw materials too. This means there is less waste from industrial processes and a focus on recycling and reusing. Using fewer virgin materials cuts carbon emissions in the supply chain because the production and transportation of certain materials in itself has a big environmental impact. Manufacturers can also experiment with running their plants on renewable energy to cut emissions even further.
All these benefits aside, companies should also want to serve local communities and their employees and be financially and socially responsible. This is also important to many consumers. Being a responsible corporation can help to enhance a business’s reputation in the eyes of the public.
How to Make Manufacturing More Sustainable
So how can you make your manufacturing business more sustainable? Let’s take a look at some of the main ESG performance measures businesses take to improve their sustainability.
Set ESG Targets
Establishing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) targets is one way in which manufacturers can become more sustainable. These goals are now often allied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They mean developing a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target, running your new green plant on renewable energy, using less water, recycling, and cutting usage of raw materials.
Socially, manufacturers should exceed benchmarks in terms of employee well-being, wages and gender equality. In terms of governance, businesses should contribute to the sustainability of cities and communities and work with other organisations and stakeholders to improve sustainability.
Prioritise Digital Transformation
It might not immediately be obvious what the relationship is between digital transformation and sustainability. Industrial digital transformation can help streamline operations, reducing the impact of the manufacturer on the environment. Digital tech can also make operations more transparent so it is possible to see where resources are being wasted and make changes. Digital can also help innovate by revamping processes so they are more environmentally sustainable. New technologies like AI are also helping to make manufacturers more sustainable by studying energy use and making recommendations for reducing energy usage, as one example. Implementing digital sensors, controls, and data analytics can also help cut energy consumption.
Focus on Energy Efficiency
A lot of machine tools and other production equipment such as drives and motors are very energy intensive. Replacing older equipment with newer energy-efficient green technologies is a great way of cutting overall energy consumption. The cost of the capital investment can be offset in time by the reduced power demands of the new machinery. Electrical equipment such as drives are rated for efficiency. Manufacturers should replace older motors with versions that are rated at IE3 or IE4 for maximum efficiency.
Manufacturing can also look at energy consumption from lighting. Factories tend to be very large spaces, which means lighting them requires a lot of electricity. The introduction of industrial LED lighting is improving energy efficiency. Companies can also adopt smart lighting solutions such as lighting on timers, dimmer switches, and sensors that turn lights off when no one is in the area.
Because manufacturing plants tend to occupy large spaces, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can also consume a lot of power. Insulation can therefore be an important measure when it comes to improving energy efficiency. HVAC systems must also be maintained correctly to remain efficient.
Manufacturers who want to implement some or all of these measures should start by conducting an energy audit. This should consider where energy is being used, which processes are consuming the most power, and where any inefficiencies lie. The manufacturer can then target those areas to make improvements.
Use Lean Manufacturing Principles
Many manufacturers already have lean manufacturing initiatives in place. As well as making production as efficient and profitable as possible, lean manufacturing has an important role to play in improving sustainability because it focuses on reducing waste. Manufacturers that adopt lean tend to cut raw material usage, one of the key principles of sustainable operation. Because lean manufacturing also focuses on continuous improvement, more and more benefits tend to be realised over time.
Lean manufacturing principles include improving manufacturing processes to reduce the wastage of materials and other resources. Activities that waste human resources or talent are also eliminated. Another important aspect of lean manufacturing is its focus on quality. This affects the quality of the end product for the customer. Companies that focus on quality are likely to stay ahead of the competition and be more innovative, which helps when it comes to operating more sustainably.
In lean manufacturing, unnecessary costs should also be cut. For example, a manufacturer may store inventory they don’t need. This creates costs for the business that are unnecessary. Finally, anything that wastes time should be avoided. Wasting time makes manufacturing processes inefficient and delays the delivery of products to the customer.
Measure Environmental Performance
If you don’t gather data about your environmental performance as a manufacturer via environmental tests, it is difficult to know if the measures you have introduced are having the desirable environmental impacts. You may want to measure emissions of greenhouse gases from your processes or determine whether less raw material is being used. You might want to assess whether stock levels are just right or if your inventory is overstocked. You should also track energy usage to see if it is decreasing.
Other types of sustainability indicators include:
- Reduced emissions of dust and particles or solvents
- Reduced use of oil and gas
- Reduced use of water
- Reduced use of pesticides and metals
- Level of recyclable waste produced
- Percentage of raw material that becomes a product
- Tonnes of waste produced annually
Is Complete Sustainability in Manufacturing Possible?
Achieving a sustainable manufacturing business requires commitment from the top of the business to the bottom. It requires leadership from senior management but also the buy-in of employees on the shop floor. Because sustainability reduces waste, it can improve the profitability of the business, so trade-offs between growth and being environmentally friendly aren’t necessarily needed.
There can be big long-term financial benefits to taking part in the sustainability industry, including using fewer resources, minimising waste, and making logistics more efficient. Manufacturers should bear in mind that genuine sustainability includes everyone the business touches, from employees to customers to local communities and the planet.
Achieving reductions in energy usage is critical for any manufacturer that wants to be sustainable. For example, running a factory on renewable energy such as wind or solar power, or investing in energy-efficient equipment like the latest drives and motors, can help a manufacturer reach net zero carbon emissions. This isn’t only good for the environment; it makes sense for the business because it cuts costs.
With manufacturing accounting for a big slice of global greenhouse gas emissions, the sector has a responsibility to cut its carbon footprint. Many manufacturers may not be wholly sustainable now, but more and more will become so in the future. That’s simply doing the right thing, and generations to come will thank them for it.
Want to learn more about using renewable energy? RS has got you covered here.