The manufacturing industry is one of the world’s largest economic and employment contributors. Globally, many countries and billions of people depend on it directly or indirectly. The sector has helped many nations grow economically. India is one of them!
While all that is true, one cannot ignore the industry’s flip side – the environmental dimension. Manufacturing and production contribute to nearly 20 percent of the global carbon emissions and approximately 55 percent of the world’s energy usage. The industry and its activities have a critical impact on the environment.
Continuing to damage the environment at a rate as alarming as the existing one would compel us into stark times ahead. The planet has already suffered enough. Thus, efforts at merely the global level won’t suffice anymore. There has to be action at the micro level as well. Manufacturers and companies engaged in allied businesses should work towards curtailing their industry’s environmental impact. Reducing carbon emissions is one of the ways of doing it. Let’s look at ways manufacturers can control CO2 emissions.
7 Ways Manufacturers Can Manage CO2 Emissions
At a broader scale, managing CO2 emissions may appear herculean. But at the individual level, it isn’t as complicated as it may seem. It is about taking smaller initiatives that can collectively contribute to a greener planet. Here are seven such sustainable practices manufacturers can indulge in to make a change.
1.Monitoring Energy Use and Carbon Footprint
Amidst an extensively spread and complex manufacturing setup, decision-makers might have a tough time determining the energy consumption of every machine and system. While some could be reasonable consumers, a few might use more energy than required. The inability to measure and control the energy consumption of the latter would increase the company’s energy costs and unjustified energy usage.
Accordingly, manufacturers must invest in intelligent tech-driven meters that help calculate the amount of energy every element of the ecosystem consumes against the required amount. Furthermore, investing in IoT can help them connect every element of the manufacturing setup and identify energy- and cost-saving opportunities.
2.Using Renewable Energy
Relying on non-renewable or conventional energy sources, for example, grid electricity can increase a company’s carbon footprint in the long run. Let alone the humongous costs they’d spend! One of the ways to achieve sustainability objectives and control CO2 emissions is by switching to renewable energy sources. For instance, it can include optimizing the use of solar energy and making as many systems as possible run on it. Of course, switching to greener alternatives can take time. It isn’t as straightforward either. But the sooner, the better!
3.Implementing Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is a new-age mantra governments worldwide are urging companies, including those engaged in manufacturing, to adopt.
Reducing refers to minimizing the use of resources. It requires manufacturers to devise more innovative techniques that help them do more in less. On the other hand, reuse signifies using things more than once. Lastly, recycling includes reprocessing a particular material and using it again. For example, in the wiring industry, wire manufacturers can use, recycle, and reuse copper repeatedly without losing its quality.
While recycling can help manufacturers use resources repeatedly and to the fullest, it can simultaneously reduce their dependence on new resources. Accordingly, every manufacturer, no matter the products they manufacture, should identify recyclable materials within their ecosystem and set up infrastructure to recycle and reuse them. It can help conserve natural resources and also the costs associated with them.
4.Choosing Suppliers Prudently
Adopting sustainable practices at the individual level surely matters. However, it can have an even larger impact when manufacturers collaborate to build an ecosystem of elements resonating with their vision of sustainability.
It precisely refers to partnering with suppliers who source sustainable raw materials and machinery. As buyers, manufacturers should make it customary for their suppliers to provide environment-friendly raw materials and develop and implement sustainable practices. Even while looking for new suppliers, manufacturers must review their sustainability credentials and perform strict checks to ensure only those aligned with the environmental vision enter the supply chain.
5.Investing in Quality Components
The manufacturing business is highly intricate. Managing costs, while ensuring product quality and retaining profit margins resembles a ropewalk. As a result, many manufacturers procure inexpensive equipment, parts, and components.
Such an approach can help save immediate expenses but increase them in the long run. In worse cases, manufacturers may have to replace the machine’s parts or entire equipment to resume production or avoid production delays. Frequent parts replacement can lead to more waste and negatively affect the environment.
Hence, it is obvious that manufacturers should invest in superior parts and components. Undoubtedly, that will add to the production cost. But for companies looking forward to making contributions towards sustainability, cost would become a secondary concern.
6.Maintaining Equipment Regularly
In the wake of optimizing equipment use, manufacturers often ignore the maintenance part. Machines require regular upkeep to perform optimally, minimize waste, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Manufacturers should create maintenance schedules and adhere to them to ensure the machines and equipment deliver the best outcome.
7.Cutting Down on Traveling
This measure applies to every company and not just those from the manufacturing industry. These days, many organizations have committed themselves to reducing their carbon footprint. Accordingly, they monitor employee air travel and identify opportunities to curb it as much as possible.
Manufacturers with employees traveling regularly for meetings can minimize CO2 emissions by refraining from traveling and attending meetings and discussions virtually.
Abstaining from traveling, unless required, may appear as a small move at a broader scale. However, the impact will be much more significant if more and more manufacturers adopt and adhere to such an approach.
Our Initiatives Towards Curbing CO2 Emissions
As a responsible manufacturer of wire products, Vidya Wires remains committed to promoting sustainability through environment-friendly practices. We value our planet and the society we serve. Accordingly, we’ve taken the following initiatives to curb our carbon footprint and contribute our bit towards global sustainability.
- Solar Rooftops: We’ve installed solar rooftops that help us maximize our use of solar energy. In the past few years, we’ve reduced our dependence on conventional electricity and curtailed our CO2 emissions to a significant extent.
- Windmills: Energy derived from windmills doesn’t lead to any CO2 emissions. Accordingly, we’ve installed windmills on our premises to generate energy from wind. While helping us save costs, it also helps us earn additional reputational and sustainability mileage, the efforts for which are appreciated by our clients.
- Tree Plantation: We understand that merely talking about sustainability doesn’t help. The change we wish to see in the world begins with us. Thus, with a vision to contribute to a greener planet, we regularly plant trees within our premises to keep the environment fresh and healthy and support the local ecosystem.
Final Words
Our planet is our only home and the only hope across the universe when it comes to survival. While everyone must adopt sustainability practices, manufacturers have a larger and more critical role to play, considering the resources they consume.
At Vidya Wires, we acknowledge our responsibilities and are aligned with global sustainability objectives. Of course, we understand the road to sustainability is stony and it won’t happen in a day or two. However, we are determined enough to make a change and stay persistent with our efforts. Connect with us at inquiry@vidyawire.com if you are looking for a sustainable wire manufacturer in India.
