How can I achieve clean production for our globally-based company?

Clean production is commonly addressed through the implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and is focused on the environmental impacts associated with how we make things. It represents environmentally responsible manufacturing practice. Rigorous EMS seek to reduce and ultimately eliminate the environmental impact of any emissions and toxins associated with production processes. For packaging, this means that sustainability is defined not only by the package but by how that package is made.

Countries with well-developed environmental policies use regulatory programs to require companies to comply with emission limits and control the release of hazardous wastes. More recently, market-based cap and trade systems have been implemented as a regulatory strategy. In the US, the results since the passage of environmental laws in the 1970s have been remarkable: Ohio's Cuyahoga River doesn't catch on fire anymore, species like the Bald Eagle have come back from the brink of extinction, and we typically enjoy decent air quality despite a significant increase in population and productivity. Compliance has become a normal operational mode and part of expected corporate citizenship. Clean water, air and a safe environment are basic quality-of-life issues that consumers expect. Despite our best efforts, however, mounting environmental evidence suggests that these strategies are not enough nor is limiting focus to our own shores.

The rapid industrialization of China and India is resulting in a frightening déjà vu of our own Industrial Revolution and its unintended consequences. The scale and magnitude of environmental degradation due to poor industrial practices is so massive that the Chinese government has stated publicly that they are concerned about widespread social instability. These impacts know no boundaries in a global marketplace, as contaminated goods travel to markets across oceans, along with the pollution and greenhouse gases from their manufacture.

Environmental performance is the level playing field when it comes to evaluating the true cost of packaging or products. Evaluating a company's environmental performance is an essential component of judging the sustainability and cost of any products. Regulatory compliance represents the most basic level of environmental responsibility. A basic level of environmental performance should be expected even in countries with few or no environmental standards. Consumers and companies are beginning to learn that any company can make a lower-cost widget, but if that widget results in more harmful environmental or human impact, then the cost is not really lower.

We need to move beyond compliance if we are to achieve equilibrium with our planet and provide a sustainable future for business and humanity. Continuous improvement helps to move beyond compliance.

Improving efficiency each year, implementing voluntary emission reductions or elimination programs, and using cleaner technologies moves us in that direction. Demanding a basic level of environmental performance from those we do business with should be an essential requirement and part of responsible practice.

434/817-1424, anne.johnson@greenblue.org