Environment
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Pushing Sustainability Forward
Optimize energy and emissions across plants, firms, and supply chains
In sustainability, manufacturing remains the ‘forgotten sector.’ Plants generate 31% of global greenhouse gases each year, the largest of any sector.
Remarkably most plants don’t have good insight into how much power is used for each unit of material produced. This is true both at the plant level and for the value chain. The data exists, but the insight does not.
In many heat-intensive industries like glass, yield has plateaued at 85% for decades, meaning that at least 15% of the energy used is just wasted. Using process and quality data we already have drives large gains in efficiency, which in turn rapidly improves sustainability.
What is Sustainability
Speed new technologies
We’re not going to improve climate until we improve the ways we make essential materials—cement, steel, glass, paper, chemicals—and speed the development of new methods. How to begin? With data.
Industry is launching new processes like new furnaces for glass, and new methods for steel and cement. The faster these efforts can ramp, the larger the impact. As with any launch, good use of data accelerates adoption and optimization.
Building a better future
In a world of digital transformation where all stakeholders are expecting more from the businesses, it is important to understand the dependencies among the the stakeholders and the businesses.
The right thing to do
By rallying around one fundamental purpose for a sustainable better life for all, the various functions of any profit and non-profit organization can unite around this common goal and purpose.
Sustainability means the whole process: water, materials, energy at every step
Understand and manage OEE for each process, standardize the measurement around units produced, and you’re managing energy and emissions too.
Taking responsibility for how we interact with, and affect, the world
Just about all industries have a direct influence on the public and they have a responsibility to ensure that their messages must have aspirations for sustainability. The businesses use their influences to educate, bring people together and set a precedent for equality and inclusion.
Environment
Efficient use of energy, water, materials
Significant moves in lowering CO2 footprint and improving energy efficiency can start in manufacturing today.
The Environment theme, the most well-known component of sustainability, centers on responsibly using natural resources so that future generations can not only survive, but thrive.
Reduced emissions and adoption of renewable energy
Caring for the environment means making the most out of resources such as water and raw materials such as metals, lumber, and petroleum products; generating and using energy from renewable sources, and reducing and managing emissions and pollutants.
Prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
These principles can be applied to the product lifecycle by creating products that can be reused, repaired, and recycled. They can also be applied to the production process itself.
Governance
Transparency, honesty
When the bulk of data engineering is automated, useful data analysis happens both more often and closer to real-time.
The Governance theme centers on how the company conducts itself and interacts with employees, customers, and the community. This means acting with qualities such as transparency, honesty, and ethical decision-making.
Value input from the employees, customers, and community
Caring for Governance means having formal policies that support and enforce ethical conduct and the equitable treatment of employees, including equitable compensation and benefits.
Employee relations, equitable compensation and benefits, absence of discrimination, retention
A clear company mission and vision, and transparent decision-making processes that include soliciting and valuing input from employees, customers, and the community, are essential to Governance.
Sustainability Examples
How to use data
Environment
Manage and track product repairs and recalls, and analyze the repair data with the process data to improve quality and longevity.
Identify opportunities for professional development, training, and growth.
Automate repetitive tasks, freeing employees to engage in more rewarding work.
Environment
Track products not just to the consumer, but throughout the lifecycle, to encourage repairs and end-of-life recycling.
Sustainability Resources
World Economic Forum Sustainability Resources
Carbon Reduction in Manufacturing Initiative which Sight Machine is a partner.
The EPA’s E3 Initiative for Sustainability
Strengthening Local Manufacturing with initiatives that include federal assistance.
The Business Case for Sustainable Manufacturing
There are a number of reasons why companies are pursuing sustainability.
Microsoft Manufacturing Sustainability Initiatives
CO2 footprint measurement and reduction efforts across manufacturing value chains.
Social
Fair working conditions
It’s critical to incorporate change management resources in any analytics project.
The Social theme centers on supporting people, both employees, and the community. This means creating a safe, welcoming work environment that engages employees and encourages growth through professional development and mentorship.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Caring for the employees and the community means supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts both internally and externally, partnering with and investing in local organizations, and supporting community service opportunities.