It's not unusual to drive by a smokestack these days and see a clear sky, devoid of the thick black plumes it may have expelled into the atmosphere in the not-too-distant past. But, today, those smokeless stacks, a direct result of efforts to lower carbon emissions, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the industrial green movement.
Manufacturers may have always been conscious of the need to be environmentally friendly corporate citizens, but recently — due to pressures from supply chain partners, local governments, and watchdog organizations — they are being forced to evaluate every aspect of their business to figure out how to lower energy usage, cut waste, reduce the size of packaging, conserve water, and, of course, decrease toxic emissions to keep the air clean.
But as any savvy organization knows, even altruistic behavior — including saving the world — should be done in a manner that directly helps the financial bottom line. Investing in technology for the future is as much about the green — money, that is — as it is about the environment. For many companies, the green movement is just a small slice of a more encompassing sustainability effort that can be leveraged for competitive advantage.
Sustainability, defined as the ability of a process or a state to be maintained at a certain level indefinitely, includes manufacturing, the supply chain, innovation, cultural shifts, and a commitment to best practices. These activities must incorporate lean philosophies throughout and also require that a company take responsibility for not only its internal efforts, but also those of its business partners.