Throughout the decades, we have been reaping the benefits of burning fossil fuels. It’s made life more comfortable for many people but steadily harms the planet. The greenhouse effect has been exacerbated by industries, causing an increase in global warming at alarming rates.
It’s crucial to understand the causes of global warming to help further the fight against it. You also need to know how to quantify your company’s impact on the environment.
The greenhouse effect is the process by which “greenhouse gases” trap heat near the Earth's surface. These heat-trapping gases act like a blanket around the Earth, keeping it warm. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and nitrous oxides are examples of greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases are generated spontaneously and are a part of our atmosphere's design.
However, humans have been messing with the planet's energy balance for the past century or so, primarily through fossil fuels’ combustion, which releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been steadily increasing for decades, trapping additional heat.
Companies can measure their impact on the environment by calculating their carbon footprint. A carbon footprint, measured in tons, indicates the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that an organization produces.
Here are some ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and become a friend to the environment.
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the careful examination of a product’s life cycle. From its production to its usage, you must implement cleaner alternatives.
Understanding factors such as energy and materials consumption, the environmental impact of by-products, and even the product itself present a unique opportunity. It’ll help your company utilize alternate processes and materials.
This process of unlearning harmful manufacturing practices and relearning healthier alternatives form the basis of eco-friendly designs.
The sustainability of your production process plays a significant role in the carbon footprint. Excessive usage of energy, tools, materials, and equipment all reduce production sustainability. However, it is not unsolvable.
The process of reusing and recycling can do wonders to reduce CO2 emissions. You can achieve this by saying no to harmful products and practices such as:
Just eliminating harmful practices isn’t enough. There also needs to be sufficient implementation of positive habits such as applying efficient recycling techniques. That will help the environmental cost of industrial production become significantly dampened.
Increasing the prevalence of reusable materials in the production cycle is a highly effective initiative that can significantly decrease carbon dioxide emissions. Today’s remanufactured products have many benefits. They are more cost-effective, durable, and are on par with new products.
Not to mention, the cleaning processes create much lower carbon emissions than traditional manufacturing processes. Cleaning processes like pressure washing negates any carbon footprint and should be applied religiously.
Automation is the next significant upgrade that manufacturers need to make their processes more efficient and sustainable.
Robotics are beneficial for many reasons. You can modify them to perform a variety of tasks, including case packaging and conveyor belt operation. They can also help in the battle against unsanitary conditions, a significant concern for food and beverage manufacturers.
Most importantly, automating your process can allow for system-wide data analysis. That will help you in determining which part of the manufacturing process produces the most significant carbon footprint.
Hence, you can narrow down areas that need help and start working on making those processes eco-friendly.
Yield losses are usually considered for their impact on productivity but also harm the carbon footprint. That is because it increases the carbon footprint drastically, usually due to compensatory mechanisms.
You can prevent typical yield losses like reduced speed and planned stoppages by implementing data-driven maintenance methods. That also requires a significant part of your manufacturing process to become automated. Contact us at BluePrint Automation to get expert advice on easing your organization’s transition into automated production lines.
From replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs to employing renewable energy, being considerate of the usage and wastage of energy can bring sharp declines in your carbon footprint.
Fossil fuels are finite, produce high amounts of carbon dioxide, and are known to be harmful to the environment. These fuels are becoming obsolete in environment-conscious organizations and for a good reason. 2019 saw the highest global volume of carbon emissions.
An immediate turnover of non-renewable resources in favor of renewable alternatives is crucial to contain industries’ global impact in the last century.
A great alternative is solar energy, which is said to provide a year's worth of energy requirement for the entire planet in just an hour. If successfully harnessed, it would pave a prosperous path to a better environment.
Other green options include:
These sources provide massive amounts of clean, efficient energy. With no compromise in production value and a complete halt to major carbon footprint producers, why wait? Commit to using sustainable fuels in your manufacturing process now.
Lastly, implementing an organization-wide green initiative is a great way to raise awareness. It will help employees be more knowledgeable of their impact on the global climate.
Therefore it will improve their willingness to adapt to the eco-friendly measures implemented throughout the manufacturing process. Tailor the green initiative to the unique environment of your company.
Some ideas include:
The industrial and manufacturing industries must become well-equipped to use raw materials, electricity, water, and other resources to promote sustainability.
Meeting our own needs without jeopardizing future generations' ability to meet theirs is what sustainability entails. It aims to protect nature, the atmosphere, biodiversity, and the environment's climate for generations to come.
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