Lean is pivotal for achieving sustainability in chemical industry

The chemical industry has developed a poor reputation for being environmentally unfriendly. Ask anyone what they think about the sector's impact on the environment, and thoughts of hazardous wastes being dumped outdoors are likely to come to mind.

The industry is aware of that preconception and is now trying to mend it. Key players in the sector realize that health and safety, environmental sustainability and operational efficiency need to be addressed in unison in order to win back the trust of investors and consumers. To achieve that standard, many companies in the industry are turning to Lean manufacturing strategies.

Mixing the ingredients to sustainability with Lean

Guy Williams, managing director of a decorative paints company in the United Kingdom, compares the process of combining these elements to that of mixing paint. Chemical companies are striving to take health and safety, environmental sustainability and operational efficiency and combine them into a single end product that will help their businesses improve.

By focusing on this all-encompassing approach, Williams believes that companies in the sector will no longer have to try to prove they are taking strides toward improvement because it will just be the natural course of action. Williams is also investing in new facilities that have Lean in mind from the outset, which he thinks will further expedite the movement toward sustainability.

“It's a £100 (USD $161) million investment that will make us much more sustainable as an organization and much more agile within our supply chain as well,” Williams told the Telegraph. “[The new factory] will open in 2014 and will significantly change our manufacturing and supply chain processes.”

Williams urges chemical companies to analyze every part of their operations to ensure they are maximizing efficiency and sustainability. “That's the Lean manufacturing process end to end we constantly go through as a business. It's very hard work, but it's the way you make your supply chain much more efficient,” he added.

Achieving environmental sustainability is important to many companies, as it can have a significant impact on their bottom line. Businesses that are known for being wasteful jeopardize their relationships with consumers, which in turn can scare away potential investors and business partners.