Sustainable supply chain manufacturing can be defined as a method for manufacturing that minimizes waste and reduces the environmental impact.

These goals are to be obtained mainly by adopting practices that will influence the product design, process design and operational principles.

Production engineers, factory planners and product designers must identify improvement measures for existing manufacturing systems as well as innovative concepts for new facilities.

As the scope of work may be very wide when we are refering to sustainable manufacturing, we are focusing below on initiatives that may be implemented :

• Basic principles: Pollution Prevention, Reduction of toxic substances, DfE
• Green waste: Solid waste, Hazardous waste, Air emissions, Wastewater discharges
• Method tools: Although different tools, such as LCA, DfE , and EOL strategies are widely used, green practices are usually based on customised approach.
• Product design: Design, including the tools, such a DfE, focuses on decreasing scrap in many areas of the product life cycle by planning waste reduction from the first stages of the production
• Inventory: High replenishment frequencies imply higher emissions, so replenishment frequencies need to be reduced
• Pollution: Reduces any pollution that happens during the production process
  

Lean Manufacturing provides organisations with tools to improve their competitiveness based on increasing customer value in terms of productivity, efficiency, quality and consumer satisfaction by reducing resource consumption through the elimination of 7 wastes (transport, inventory, motion, waiting, over-processing, over-production).

Green Manufacturing can be defined as Lean Manufacturing with a renewed interest in developing greener solutions capable of not only minimising waste, but also reducing the negative environmental and social impacts (minimising health risks) of traditional industrial practices throughout the product life cycle.

The objective of both approaches is the same - to minimise non-value added activities with a focus on waste reduction, people and organisation, lead time reduction, supply chain relationships, KPI service levels tools and practices. They can be very effective when unified and implemented simultaneously (see figure in additional information Affiliation amid Lean-Green Methods).

The International Standard Organisation (ISO) has developed an international standard for environmental management systems known as ISO14001:2015. These standards act as a systematic continuous improvement tool to implement Green Manufacturing.

The term cleaner production is a response to the question of how to produce in a sustainable manner.

Its core element is prevention vs. clean-up or end-of-pipe solutions to environmental problems: resources should be used efficiently thus reducing environmental pollution, improving health and safety and reducing waste costs.

Cleaner production focuses on conservation of natural resources such as water, energy and raw materials and avoiding the end of pipe treatment.

By considering production processes, cleaner production includes:

• conserving raw materials and energy,
• eliminating toxic raw materials
• reducing the quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes before they leave a process.
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For products, the strategy focuses on reducing impacts along the entire life-cycle of the product, from raw material extraction to the ultimate disposal of the product. Cleaner production is achieved by applying know-how, by improving technology, and by changing attitudes.

Changing attitudes is the most challenging and the most important step in applying cleaner production concept.

Cleaner production techniques are also good business for the industry as it will:

• Reduce waste disposal cost
• Reduce raw material cost
• Reduce health-safety-environment (HSE) damage cost
• Improve public relations/image
• Improve company's performance
• Improve the local and international market competitiveness
• Help comply with environmental protection regulations

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On a broader scale, cleaner production can help alleviate the serious and increasing problems of air and water pollution, ozone depletion, global warning, landscape degradation, solid and liquid wastes, resource depletion, acidification of the natural and built environment, visual pollution and reduced biodiversity.

To decrease waste in manufacturing, please browse our waste management best practices on production area and packing & Unpacking area

Sustainable organizations strive to balance the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit to achieve long-term success and viability. This means that organizations cannot be sustainable without protecting the safety, health, and welfare of their most vital resource: The workers.

A stronger commitment to safety and health can benefit workers by decreasing the number of illnesses, injuries and fatalities; increasing their engagement and satisfaction; and enabling them to be productive participants in the organization and their communities. When emphasizing the safety, health and welfare of workers, businesses also see benefits in decreased costs associated with workers’ compensation payments, training and recruitment; increased productivity and quality; and improved reputational and financial performance.

Integrating safety and health into sustainability strategies can transform an organization into one that strives to protect the environment for future generations, ensures long­term economic viability and allows all people to thrive.

In recent years, manufacturers have implemented, lean processes as well as digital capabilities to boost productivity, create safer workplaces, and reduce costs. By providing manufacturers integrated and complimentary capabilities, they can gain greater visibility into their production processes, equipment wear-and-tear, and energy usage. These capabilities can empower organizations to optimize production, improve predictive maintenance, and minimize material waste.

The emerging digital technologies can significantly accelerate the Supply Chain transformation implemented in the companies :

• IoT (Internet of Things): connected row materials & supplies, connected transportation units, connected manufacturing assets, connected facilities, connected points of sales, connected products and consumers
• AI (Artificial Intelligence): computers imitate human behavior
• ML (Machine Learning): computer improve their tasks through experience
• Block Chain: From a supply chain perspective, BlockChain helps ensure efficient transactions, promote food safety, manage efficient recalls, help with elimination of counterfeits, the assurance of ethical trading partners, and much more.
• Robotics: Robots can do jobs in difficult or unsafe areas of the World. Robots are streamlining supply chains to deliver more efficient and predictable business results.
• Drones: Drones are used in the Supply Chain to Reach Patients in Remote Areas . Many companies are working to launch last-mile delivery solutions
• 3D printing: or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.