What is Green Manufacturing?

Are you familiar with green manufacturing? It’s an idea that’s been around for quite some time, and recently it’s become more popular as the benefits of eco-friendly manufacturing efforts have continued to grow. Here’s a look at what green manufacturing is and how it can benefit manufacturers.

What is Green Manufacturing?

At Clean Technica, they look at green manufacturing in two different ways:

1. The manufacturing of “green” products, particularly those used in renewable energy systems and clean technology equipment of all kinds.
2. The “greening” of manufacturing – reducing pollution and waste by minimizing natural resource use, recycling and reusing waste, and reducing emissions.

Benefits of Green Manufacturing

First and foremost, green manufacturing benefits the environment, but even if you’re less concerned about that, greener choices can also be smart financial decisions. And it’s quite likely that some of the efforts you currently engage in are green (especially if your business applies LEAN manufacturing principles). Here are some of the benefits:

• Lower material costs
• Decreased overhead expenses
• Increased employee morale
• Reduced downtime
• Job creation

Green Manufacturing Processes within the Metals Industry

One area of green manufacturing the metals industry can excel at is in recycling and reusing waste materials. Many service centers and manufacturers have processes in place to collect, reuse, and recycle scrap material. This can be as simple as collecting scrap in designated bins or boxes and recycling the material at designated intervals.

Not only does participation in eco-friendly manufacturing practices support environmental efforts, but it also can improve a manufacturer’s bottom line, boost employee motivations, and demonstrate social responsibility to the outside world. With all these things combined, taking a look at ways your manufacturing efforts can get a little greener might be worth your while.