“The Sustainable Edge™,” a new report from UL Environment details findings that companies with active sustainability strategies are able to reduce operating costs as well as drive profitability and new market opportunities. In fact, the report posits that “concerns about the impact of products and manufacturing processes on the health of people and the environment are now a driving factor in purchasing decisions.”
From this engineer’s perspective, a commitment to sustainability involves analyzing every input, process, design, and standard we use. The old saying goes – “that which is measured, improves.” The process of understanding inputs and how these are utilized has been proven to result in measureable savings. The ability to identify and improve inputs across a broad spectrum – sales process, design, raw materials, processing, reprocessing, back-end practices, and energy utilization – leads to the ability to effectively use inputs to your advantage. Companies who understand how to best manage their inputs will have a lasting competitive advantage over those who do not.
The advantages of a sustainable company include:
- Achieving higher earnings growth.
- Attracting and retaining the best candidates.
- Creating and articulating a meaningful and measurable differentiation from the competition.
- Having better relationships with their employees, suppliers, customers, communities and shareholders.
We can do our part to achieve these advantages by being more aware of how our decisions on designs, materials, and processes affect sustainability. Smarter designs can do more with less. We need to design parts that are engineered with sustainability as a key factor. For instance, engineers and designers might include features that incorporate multiple components and that are thinner & lighter. We must also ID potential failure modes and design them out before they create waste (wasted time, money, and customer loyalty).
Engineers and designers are selecting smarter materials that are lighter, faster and stronger – and that provides a cost savings. Auto and aerospace markets are focusing a great deal of effort on materials with higher strength to weight ratios. For example, the increased use of lower-weight carbon fiber composites (both thermoset and thermoplastics) offers substantial weight savings, resulting in significantly reduced fuel consumption.
OEMs in all sectors are working to incorporate recycled materials wholly or in part, where and when possible. Materials engineers are modifying formulations of recycled compounds to help overcome drop-off in properties vs. virgin. Some changes can be as simple as choosing materials that allow for processing in water-cooled tools vs. oil-cooled tools – a potential source of substantial energy cost savings.
Working to identify ways to reduce waste at every level helps us to be more competitive and ultimately more successful. Less waste = Lower costs = Improved profitability = Superior competitive positioning.
Download “The Sustainable Edge™” for more statistics and strategies.
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