Sustainable Operations and Closed Loop Supply Chains, Second Edition

Book excerpt: This book has been written for any organization that needs guidance on the journey toward sustainability. To be sustainable, your organization needs to consider the triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and social returns, so that it can be assured of a steady supply of inputs such as materials and labor. The author explains the first step toward sustainability: to reduce waste in operations, with such tools as lean and Six Sigma. He also helps guide your firm through a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for each of the main products or processes. LCA assesses the environmental impact (such as energy consumption) of a product or process through its life cycle: sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, use by consumers, and end of life. You then learn about becoming eco-efficient through ISO 14001, green buildings, renewable energy, and biofuels. The final step is to close the loop. To close the loop, you learn about servicizing, Design for Environment (DfE), and remanufacturing.