Lean Six Sigma’s impact on sustainability

Regulatory agencies and federal organizations have been cracking down on wasteful companies, assessing fines that can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars to businesses that needlessly pollute the environment. Additionally, the negative PR associated with these fines and violations can further impact popular perception and sales. In short, you should avoid waste when possible because it can have huge ramifications for your company.

So how can your organization reduce needless waste and byproducts without negatively impacting production? Many companies have turned to Lean Six Sigma as a means of improving their sustainability.

The ways Lean can bolster sustainability

Waste comes from a number of different processes. Some of these are obvious, while others aren't. For example, a large manufacturer that uses fuel will produce smog. This is an obvious source of waste. However, there are less evident waste sources as well. For instance, if you have the choice of using two suppliers, one of which is 50 miles further away, utilizing that one will produce more waste due to the greater transportation distances.

As Antonia Giardina, the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations & Environment, explained, there are seven different categories of waste: Overproduction, waiting, transportation of goods, inventory, complexity, movement of people and defects.

Overproduction includes the manufacturing of parts to keep machines and people busy, and can lead to excessive environmental byproducts, such as smog.

Waiting refers to delaying production for materials, machines, tools and people. That means leaving machines idling as companies wait for the required materials to complete production, which also leads to resource waste, such as electricity.

Transportation of goods from point A to point B can create needless waste if distances are excessive, resulting in the emission of smog and other byproducts.

Inventory refers to building stockpiles of parts, some of which end up being trashed if they aren't used in a timely fashion.

Complexity, also known as Extra Processing, is another enemy of sustainability. Procedures that are needlessly complex and involve using a variety of machines can suck resources and lead to further eco-waste. If three machines are used when only two are needed, this results in additional smog or other byproducts.

The movement of people refers to excessive operator movement. The more people have to move and reach for items, the more time is wasted each day and oftentimes, this shows how spread-out and wasteful a facility is.

Defects come from inefficient production processes. Defective products or parts are often discarded, which can lead to further pollution.

Companies need to look critically at every element of their production line if they are looking to leverage Lean to help bolster sustainability. It starts by recognizing that there is more to sustainability than simply using recycled materials or parts – just about every process can produce wasteful materials. By integrating Lean, they can identify some of the processes and reduce waste.

Green society

While many decisions to go green are based on financial ramifications (such as fines and violations), more Americans are growing cognizant of which companies they support. They notice whether businesses use recycled products or have a huge environmental footprint. This can result in hits to a company's brand reputation if waste is a particularly large issue.

It's pivotal to realize sustainability has a number of benefits, many of which aren't related to financial fines and penalties. By going Lean and therefore green, businesses will be better able to realize the perks of sustainability.