Submitted by: Submitted by jehenry
Views: 198
Words: 1438
Pages: 6
Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 01/02/2013 01:12 PM
Turn Green to Gold!
Sustainability and
Closed-Loop Recycling
Why?
Green manufacturing, sustainability and recycling programs,
and their related issues should be seen as opportunities for all
of us involved in the manufacturing, distribution and return of
goods, as it can afford those along the extended supply chain
with opportunities for:
Improved cost containment, reductions in labor, material and risk
New products, services, and market leadership
Positive response to increasingly regulated environments
Reduction in wastes of all kinds
Capitalize on growing eco-friendly consumer awareness and desire
Contribute to Companies’ ecological and environmental responsibilities
Improve the reuse, repurpose and recycling of products
Let’s Turn Green to Gold!
Ask your stakeholders about their Sustainability and
Recycling programs
What is being done presently to avoid misuse, to extend life of
items and to minimize waste costs?
Do the business practices support sustainable development?
Are you benefiting from the influence that sustainability
awareness has on consumer behavior
Is there a more sustainable or green manufacturing and
distribution environment you should embrace?
Sustainability
Common definition used for sustainable development
and environmental sustainability comes from the 1987
Brundtland Report*:
“Meeting the needs of the present generation
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”
Sustainable or green manufacturing involves avoiding
waste and minimizing costs from the point of sourcing
raw material through the end of life, as well as reuse or
recycling.
Recognizing there are costs and financial consequences
that are reflected in the total cost of producing products
* Our Common Future aka Brundtland Report (1987), Oxford: Oxford University Press
United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
Put...