The Impact on a Global Scale
Green manufacturing and clean energy are getting attention on a global scale. The United States, Brazil and China have made new commitments to fight climate change. The United States unveiled a Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon pollution. The United Nations is taking great strides to take on climate change worldwide. All of these efforts to improve clean energy and climate change have a direct impact on manufacturing. Whether it is a reduction in auto emission standards or clean energy efforts, manufacturing will be at the forefront of the initiatives. Unfortunately, some of these initiatives have fallen short or lack support on a global scale. As an example, experts compare the current climate of 2015 China to the climate of 1974 Pittsburgh. Clearly, global creativity and cooperation is what will be required moving forward.
Green Manufacturing Gains Momentum
Green manufacturing is a good idea in terms of the environment, and also for business on a global scale. Even though new environmental regulations are cropping up around the globe, leading companies are very focused on taking the initiative. They are becoming laser focused on reducing waste and improving energy use, not because of regulation but because of the long term impact of their practices. Companies are looking at the use of energy, water and materials and how they can reduce or eliminate them from their manufacturing process. These same companies are finding that the Internet of Things (IoT) with connectivity, software improvements and innovative devices are becoming valuable tools in improving green manufacturing. These new devices and their connectivity are proving to be efficient and effective in their quality improvement initiatives. The connectivity created by the industrial Internet makes it easier to track resource consumption. When companies are reducing waste and energy in their manufacturing processes, they gain a significant awareness of the importance of green manufacturing.
The Future of Green Manufacturing
There is a serious interest and commitment to green initiatives in the global manufacturing industry. It is a key component of operating a sustainable business that helps uncover hidden in manufacturing, while creating value for the environment, the stakeholders, and the greater community both now and in the future. As leaders from around the world look at ways to reduce carbon pollution, manufacturers will make their operations more energy efficient.
The green manufacturing movement seemed to slow down with the economy. The EPA has not been promoting their toolkits very much. I don’t think we will see a big push for green manufacturing until the landfill and energy charges go up (which are inevitable). There are employee engagement and retention, innovation, customer and risk reasons to pursue sustainable manufacturing. The smart companies aren’t waiting for the costs to go up and are getting ahead of it now. The companies that are waiting for a financial incentive will be way far behind their competitors.