Handbook of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing

Book excerpt: Manufacturers, under pressure from their major stakeholders, integrate environmental issues in the design and management of their products. These stakeholders include customers, regulators, employees, communities, and interest groups who have a common stake in protecting the earth from pollution and in limiting the exploitation of earth's limited natural resources. Manufacturers recognize that being environmentally responsible also offers competitive advantage to the firm. The Handbook of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing is written as a state-of-the-art reference to guide environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM). All the contributors have done extensive research and/or practice work in the field of ECM. The Handbook covers all the major topics in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing. There are specific chapters to deal with sustainable manufacturing, recycling, eco-labelling, life cycle assessment, and ISO 14000 series of standards, as well as decision-making aspects of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing. Decision-oriented topics on supply chain, decision models, quality initiative, environmental costing and decision support systems are also covered. The influence of ECM on marketing imperative is also covered.