Sustainable Operations and Closed-Loop Supply Chains

by Gilvan Souza

This book was written for any company or organization that needs
detailed guidance on the journey towards sustainability, starting from
zero. And if your firm wants to be sustainable, you know you have
to consider the triple bottom line when making economic
(profit), environmental (planet), and social (people). By focusing on the
triple bottom line (3Ps), your firm can be assured of a steady supply of
inputs such as raw materials and labor.
Author Souza carefully explains the first step towards sustainability,
which is aimed at reducing waste in operations, with the help of such
tools as lean and Six Sigma. He will also help guide your firm through
a “life cycle assessment” (LCA) for each of the main products and processes.
LCA is a methodology designed to assess the environmental
impact (such as energy consumption, and toxicity) of a product or
process through its life raw material extraction, transportation,
manufacturing, packaging and distribution, use by consumers, and
end-of-life. The final step in the journey towards sustainability is to
close the loop. To close the loop, you’ll learn about designing efficient
packaging, designing products for multiple life cycles (as in design
for remanufacturing), or designing products according to a Cradle to
Cradle® philosophy, which ensures no use of toxic materials, ease of
disassembly, and 100% up-cyclability.
The book concludes with the “final P” of sustainability—people, with
some examples of firms that invest heavily in the social bottom line.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2012