From energy use to disposable resources, manufacturing is known for its environmental impact. However, with modern solutions, your business can reduce its carbon footprint and create a more sustainable manufacturing environment.
Not only is creating a sustainable company the responsible thing to do, but it also saves money and increases your brand’s social value. With more manufacturers reducing their environmental impact, here are some easy steps to take to make your company more sustainable.
Sustainability is undoubtedly one of the most significant concerns of modern manufacturing, as many businesses now realize their degree of waste and energy consumption. Not only are the environmental implications crucial to consider, but the benefits for your business are as well. Shifting your business’ focus to sustainability allows your company to reap the advantages of enhanced brand perception and reduced overall costs.
It’s more apparent than ever that choosing sustainability increases your consumer value. In fact, 75% of consumers show concern over the environmental impact of their purchases. Environmentally conscious practices help your organization create social equity, building trust with potential customers and increasing the likelihood of sales.
In addition to increased sales, your operation will incur fewer costs by using fewer resources. Manufacturers who are more environmentally conscious reduce costs through energy reduction, using renewable resources, and cutting down on disposable sunk costs that come with outdated methods like manual design and calculation.
While many industries rely on fossil fuels to create their products, manufacturers are the leading consumer. In fact, 81% of total industrial energy usage occurs from manufacturing. Fossil fuels cost millions of dollars a year to use and are also a top contributor to environmental damage.
Manufacturers investing in renewable energy are choosing options like solar, wind, and even geothermal to decrease their operation’s reliance on fossil fuels. Some produce energy themselves with on-site generators. Leveraging power purchasing agreements (PPAs) will lock in sustainable energy pricing for 15 to 20 years, saving millions.
Traditional methods create waste through production errors and disposable materials. To move toward sustainability, leverage modern solutions that produce less waste and reduce errors. Programs like configure, price, and quote (CPQ) solutions offer the chance to minimize costs while increasing efficiency.
Communication errors lead to your operation creating products that will only go into the trash due to inaccurate specs, order numbers, or customizations. Over time, this waste adds up and negatively impacts your bottom line — and the environment.
Production is only one aspect of your business’s carbon footprint. Your facility’s design, construction, and operation also play an essential role, as inefficiencies lead to unnecessary costs and reduce overall sustainability.
With modern technology, your facility will be optimized for sustainability. Digital twin technology and visualization and configuration software can help your team reduce rebuilding costs, downtime, and labor. These new programs allow you to optimize your system before it’s even built, ensuring your operation is at maximum efficiency from day one.
The common thread of reducing environmental impact is limiting inefficiencies. Reduce time spent managing with product lifecycle management (PLM) software, a solution that lowers costs, resource use, and errors. Implementing PLM software provides access to a reusable, accessible resource that reduces bottlenecks and resource misuse.
As many manufacturers are discovering, shifting to digital solutions is the quickest way to reduce costs and maximize sustainability. Revalize offers a wide range of solutions to help your business drive revenue while reducing your impact on the environment.
Talk to one of our specialists to learn more about increasing your sustainability while cutting costs with our digital solutions. Sustainable solutions are the future of manufacturing and make switching over more valuable than ever.
