The Green to Gold Business Playbook by Daniel C. Esty & P. J. Simmons

Author:Daniel C. Esty & P. J. Simmons
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781118010891
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2011-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Goodrich Corporation, a supplier of products and services to the aerospace industry, uses kaizen events to drive waste elimination.36 Team members of an event assess hazardous waste streams; identify and implement pollution prevention techniques; and target environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues. Since 1995 Goodrich has conducted over 350 kaizen events. Staff identify EHS objectives at all kaizen events and make efforts to involve EHS personnel. Converting to cellular manufacturing and shifting to lean point-of-use chemical management systems also helped Goodrich to eliminate labor and reduce chemical use.

Baxter International, a global medical products and services company, used kaizen events to manage energy use at its facility in Spain. The facility recorded daily energy use for one year. Each time energy use exceeded average use by 15 percent, the facility held a kaizen event to address the root causes of the peak. The facility saved approximately $300,000 in one year.37

10. Integrate Green Issues into “5S” Programs

5S is a lean manufacturing tool designed to lead to a clean and orderly workplace as well as create efficient processes. The 5S's are: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. Some companies add “safety” as a sixth. 5S practitioners apply all the S's to workplace layout and manufacturing processes. Integrating environmental management procedures into standard work procedures can further reduce workplace errors, such as spills, lead to fewer product defects, and generate higher productivity due to more efficient placement and use of tools—which, in turn, can lead to more efficient use of materials. For example, using a simple color-coded tagging process during the “Sort” phase (such as with sticky notes) to identify hazardous chemicals can prevent mistakes later in the process and help avoid accidents. Identifying hazardous materials can also help managers keep track of how much is being used in the manufacturing process and find ways to reduce the use of such materials.

Many companies have radically reengineered their use of chemicals in manufacturing to lessen their environmental impact. IBM, as part of its design for environment initiative, recently eliminated the use of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) compounds from some of its chip-making processes.38 It used these chemicals to etch circuits onto microchips, a common industry practice, but it worked with its chemical suppliers to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives. U.S. and EU regulatory authorities severely restricted the use of PFOS and PFOA in 2010. By eliminating its use of these bioaccumulative chemicals entirely, IBM got ahead of regulations and avoided costly efforts to handle them.

11. Use Energy from Less-Polluting Fuel Sources

Depending on your region's utility, electricity is generated from polluting sources such as coal or fuel oil, or cleaner sources such as hydro and nuclear. Utility bills often tell only part of the energy story. Understanding the energy end uses—what work the energy does—reveals more useful information that can be used to identify opportunities for improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Switching to a cleaner fuel can result in huge reductions in greenhouse gases and toxic air emissions. For example, switching from electricity to natural gas heating can reduce heating costs by as much as 75 percent.

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