Eco-Friendly Tips Manufacturers Should Embrace

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Manufacturing usually has a bad rap when it comes to eco-friendliness. It’s pretty common for many factories to produce a huge amount of toxic waste that contaminates water bodies, threatening aquatic life. Other factories also contribute tonnes of waste to the landfills. Carbon emissions are also something to worry about. Thankfully, the world is experiencing a shift towards sustainability and environmental friendliness, and manufacturing companies can also jump on this bandwagon. Here are some eco-friendly tips you can embrace as a manufacturer. 

Be Honest About Your Environmental Impact
The first step to becoming an eco-friendly manufacturer is to be honest about how your processes affect your environment. This way, you can acknowledge your progress and seek innovative ways to address your shortcomings. For instance, you can conduct an energy audit to see how much power goes into your manufacturing processes. This is particularly important, as energy production accounts for approximately 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Another thing you want to evaluate is your water consumption, the amount of waste you generate, how you dispose of it, and so on. Experts recommend conducting an environmental aspect and impact analysis using flow charts, matrices, life cycle assessments, and checklists.

Go Green With Your Raw Materials
Sustainable manufacturers will go to great lengths to save the environment, including finding greener replacements for their raw materials. You should also follow in these footsteps if the goal is eco-friendliness. The good news is that you can achieve this in several ways. For instance, you can recycle raw materials like plastic, wood, paper, and so on. Not only does this reduce production waste and pollution, but you can also reduce your dependence on virgin materials that could be depleted from overuse. 

Moreover, your product's carbon footprint can be greatly reduced, allowing you to escape the carbon border adjustment mechanism, a tax placed by the EU on less eco-friendly brands. Alternatively, consider using low-impact raw materials. For instance, you can leverage bamboo or rattan if you produce furniture. While at it, optimize your material use to minimize waste. Partnering with recycled and sustainable materials suppliers can also be beneficial, so feel free to consider this. 

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Take The Needed Steps To Reduce Waste 
Admittedly, there is no manufacturing process without waste- the two are inseparable. However, this doesn't mean your business is bound to litter the environment. Fortunately, you can take the needed steps to limit your production waste. Not only will you prevent pollution (water and land), but you also don't have to throw away useful materials, allowing you to save more money. You can achieve this by investing in a waste reduction program, which can help you identify and correct whatever generates the most waste. This program can include audits, waste reduction targets, progress tracking, and so on. Likewise, consider leveraging lean manufacturing principles to achieve the desired outcome. As a tip, prioritize just-in-time manufacturing practices, allowing you to purchase the necessary inventory and preventing you from wasting money and raw materials. You can also streamline your operations with technology.