A Crucial Role for Quality: Sustainability

Saving the planet and bolstering the bottom line

Industry stands at a new frontier of how organizations will be structured. With rapid advancements in technology, changing consumer behaviors, and the emergence of new business models, businesses are being forced to adapt and evolve to remain competitive. Businesses are also focusing more on sustainability and social responsibility, which can lead to new organizational models. Overall, the changing business landscape is forcing companies to rethink their traditional structures and embrace new approaches that are more agile, responsive, and adaptable to the rapidly evolving marketplace.

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These practices support bottom line performance

"One of the primary benefits of sustainability for business is increased efficiency. Sustainable practices often involve reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, and conserving resources. These measures can help to lower costs, increase productivity, and improve profitability over the long term. "

Henry Ford realized this more than 100 years ago, when there were few if any environmental regulations. He recognized that any material he threw away, such as waste wood, was material he had paid for so his position was that he should re-purpose it, e.g. as Kingsford Charcoal. My own position is that ISO 14001 users should look at everything that is thrown away, rather than just environmental aspects, to get the most benefit from it. ISO 50001 relates to energy and should be used as well.

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William, I agree with your comments on Henry Ford. It was his book today and tomorrow 1926 the focus were his views on industrial efficiency and productivity. He truly believed that waist was one of the biggest obstacles to productivity and profitability. The book is rich on ideas in approaches how to look at waist and becoming green at the same time. Ford emphasized the importance of producing high-quality products right from the start. He believed that defects and rework resulted in wasted time, effort, and resources. He did it before the environment was an issue. It was what drove me to become interested in environmental issues and how we look at that area. He had a very different view on waste, and how business should view waste as an inefficiency. Sustainability is truly about efficiency and increasing both competitiveness and profitability through the elimination of waste which also benefits the environment.Today and Tomorrow should be a mandatory read for people entering the sustainability arena.

In many cases were I was building an ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 programs were championed by the environmental department and it took an effort to convince people that we needed all departments at the table. That way when we look at environmental aspects we can take a systematic view at all impacts. Both the quality department and the engineering department could make a big impact to reduction of waste. The quality department has a number of tools that can impact the environmental / energy of an organization in a very powerful way. The question William is are business leaders willing to make the changes needed.

“Business man go down with their business because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themself to change” Henry Ford.

Bob