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Green Initiatives & Sustainability

More and more, consumers demonstrate their concern for the environment with every purchasing decision they make. We have come a very long way indeed since Rachel Carson first brought the subject of environmental protection to the attention of the general public in 1962, with the publication of her book – Silent Spring. It took a further 8 years before the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency and another twenty-two years before the first practical guidance on best practice for manufacturers was published in June 1992. British Standard BS 7750 was the first Environmental Management System (EMS) and in September 1996 the International Standards Organisation published the ISO 14001 standard.

 

Today, sustainability is simply good business practice and it is no longer optional. Most large corporations now have sustainability values and targets included as integral elements of mission and strategy – both for their own operations and those of their suppliers. This topic has become increasingly important for manufacturers with the widespread focus on “good governance” and risk analysis over the last 5-10 years. Sustainability is also increasingly important for investors concerned about ethical investment. Companies that sell solutions and services to manufacturing enterprises need to understand both board room implications of both the regulatory compliance and the shareholder value aspects of this topic.

"Going green" and the automotive product life cycle
This white paper discusses three powerful forces that have come together to produce intense pressure on vehicle manufacturers to develop new technologies and new vehicles.  The first:  rapidly changing demands of their customers.  The second:  investors and shareholders have become increasingly concerned about ethical considerations and good citizenship.  The third: regulatory compliance.
Singing a Green Song
Most IT vendors have been talking about being green for a long while and some have actually been doing something about it behind the scenes.  Vendors are now beginning to spend real marketing money on establishing their green credentials. 
Being Green is Good Business
The issue of going ‘green’ has never been more topical. In a recent statement on the topic of climate change by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, he stressed that if no preventative action was taken the world would face the real and dreadful possibilities of drought, mass famine and rising sea levels.
Emerging Environmental Product Policy
The pressure on engineers to consider sustainability of their designs is increasing.  A recent ‘Expert’s View’ discussed the ELV Directive.  Now we consider the extension of these concepts into other product development areas.  Recently the European Union proposed the Integrated Product Policy (IPP).  This article summarizes the philosophy behind IPP and examines its potential impacts on the business of product development, in particular design.
Regulation & Engineering
There is no doubt that we live in an increasingly regulated world.  To some, “red-tape” inhibits creativity, stifles competitiveness, and adds to the cost of doing business, often without achieving the intended aims.  To others it represents the individual citizen exercising restraint, through their elected representatives, on the worst excesses of globalisation.