Sustainability Management in Plastics Processing: Strategies, Targets, Techniques and Tools
About
Sustainability is a topic that is growing in importance to the plastics industry and is set to be the defining issue for plastics processors over the next 20 years. This issue is not going away and pressures to improve the industy's sustainability will only grow in the future. Despite this, many companies do not have a clear programme to reduce their impacts and often do not know how to start to become more sustainable in their operations and improve their sustainability credentials.
Written by world renowned expert in sustainable and energy management in plastics processing, Dr Robin Kent, this 434 page book provides a structured approach to the techniques of sustainability management and covers the main topics of relevance to plastics processors. This one of a kind workbook is designed for practical use and not as an academic textbook.
Who Is This For?
This book is aimed at senior and middle management professionals from all parts of the plastics industry who are starting their journey in sustainability management. This book covers all aspects of sustainability management systems through to social responsibility and reporting. It is a practical workbook with a manageable explanation of each step, clear actions and key tips compiled from Dr Kent's 50+ years of industry experience.
|
Features
|
.png) |
About the Author
 Dr Robin Kent Tangram Technologies |
Dr Kent has a B.Eng. (Hons.) in Materials Engineering from Monash University (Australia) and a Ph.D. in Polymer Physics from the University of Surrey (UK). He has been involved with polymer processing since 1971 and has worked as Technical Director for several major plastics processing companies in the UK and Europe. He established Tangram Technology in 1996 as consulting engineers for the plastics processing industry and has worked around the world in energy and sustainability management. |
Chapters
Chapter 1 Introduction to sustainability management
- Where we are going
- What is sustainability?
- The pressures for sustainability
- Approaches to sustainability
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)
- Mapping actions on time
- Mapping actions on the product life cycle
- Mapping actions on materiality
- Are we running out of materials?
- Are we running out of destinations?
- Energy and climate – where are you now?
- Material effectiveness – where are you now?
- Natural resources – where are you now?
- People and community – where are you now?
- Product life cycle – where are you now?
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- UN SDGs – where are you now?
- Project selection and management
- Sustainability projects – where are you now?
- The perils of greenwashing
Chapter 2 Management systems
- Management systems – where you now?
- Environmental management systems – the basics
- Environmental management systems – starting out
- Environmental management systems – interactions and risk
- Environmental management systems – ISO 14001
- Environmental management systems – where are you now?
- Energy management systems – the basics
- Energy management systems – the standard
- Energy management systems – ISO 50001
- Energy management systems – where are you now?
- Health and safety management systems – the basics
- Health and safety management systems – the standard
- Health and safety management systems – ISO 45001
- Health and safety management systems – where are you now?
- Risk assessment – bow tie analysis
- Risk assessment – FMEA
- Risk assessment – environmental
- Risk assessment – health and safety
- Risk assessment – where are you now?
Chapter 3 Design
- The design and development process
- Sustainable from the start
- Resource efficient design
- Raw materials – minimising inputs
- Raw materials – design for recycling
- Raw materials – REACH and RoHS
- Manufacture – targeting efforts
- Manufacture – detailed design
- Manufacture – Design for Manufacture
- Manufacture – Design for Assembly
- Use – optimising use
- End-of-life – minimising outputs
- End-of-life – Design for Disassembly
- End-of-life – WEEE and ELV
- Resource efficient design – where are you now?
- The product design specification
- Using the product design specification to improve sustainability
Chapter 4 Raw materials
- Raw materials – a key factor
- Reducing raw materials content (lightweighting)
- Reducing raw materials use in production
- Reducing raw materials content and use – where are you now?
- Material destinations
- Mechanical recycling
- Recycled materials in the supply chain
- The market for recycled materials
- Qualifying recyclers and recycled materials
- Chemical recycling
- Energy recovery – energy from waste (EfW)
- Landfill – storage for the future?
- Materials recovery – where are you now?
- Bio-based plastics – raw materials
- Biodegradable plastics – end-of-life
Chapter 5 Manufacturing: general
- Measuring raw material losses
- Minimising raw material losses
- Regrinding (internal re-use)
- Pellet control
- Quality management and sustainability
- Quality costs/quality savings
- Statistical process control to reduce waste – capability studies
- Statistical process control to reduce waste – control charts
- Waste and non-value activities
- Procurement for sustainability
- Implementing sustainable procurement
- Local suppliers
- Supplier assessment for sustainability
- Sustainable procurement – ISO 20400
- Sustainable procurement – where are you now?
- Sustainable distribution – the method
- Sustainable distribution – improving vehicle use
- Greening the office
Chapter 6 Manufacturing: energy
- Improving sustainability and saving money by reducing energy use
- The vital questions
- More vital questions
- Internal site benchmarking
- Performance assessment and forecasting
- External benchmarking by site
- External benchmarking by machine
- Integrating energy into the accounts
- Measuring energy costs
- The site energy survey
- Injection moulding
- All-electric injection moulding machines
- Extrusion
- Extrusion blow moulding
- Motors
- Compressed air
- Cooling water
- Polymer drying
- Buildings
- Financial energy management – where are you now?
- Technical energy management – where are you now?
- Energy awareness and information – where are you now?
- On-site energy generation – solar and wind
- On-site energy generation – combined heat and power and tri-generation
Chapter 7 Manufacturing: carbon footprinting
- The basics of carbon footprinting
- Site carbon footprinting – Scope 1
- Site carbon footprinting – Scope 2
- Site carbon footprinting – Scope 3
- Site carbon footprinting – putting the scopes together
- Product carbon footprinting
- Product carbon footprints
- Country plastics processing carbon footprints
- Carbon footprinting – where are you now?
Chapter 8 Manufacturing: water
- Water use in plastics processing
- Sources and sinks
- The water balance
- Water monitoring and targeting
- The water management programme
- Minimise the demand – reduce leakage
- Minimise the demand – reduce use in services
- Minimise the demand – reduce use in processes
- Minimise the demand – reduce use in heating and facilities
- Minimise the demand – use alternative sources
- Optimise the supply – recycling and re-use
- Optimise the supply – optimise treatment
- Reduce discharge – reduce volume, reduce COD and reduce suspended solids
- The water footprint
- Water – where are you now?
- Chpater 9 Manufacturing: waste minimisation
- Waste minimisation
- The waste minimisation programme
- Waste minimisation tools – the process flow chart
- Waste minimisation tools – the waste tracking model
- Accounting for waste
- Minimising packaging waste – the basics
- Minimising packaging waste – eliminate or reduce
- Minimising packaging waste – re-use
- Minimising packaging waste – recycling, recovery and disposal
- Minimising oil and hydraulic fluid waste
- Minimising solvent waste
- The site waste survey
- Managing waste minimisation
- Waste minimisation – where are you now?
- Chapter 10 Use and end-of-life
- Use and end-of-life timescales for plastics products
- Very short-life products
- Short-life products
- Short-life products – preparing for a sustainable future
- Short-life products – where are you now?
- Medium-life products
- Medium-life products – where are you now?
- Long-life products
- Long-life products – leading sustainability
- Chpater 11 Long-life products – where are you now?
- Social responsibility
- The social responsibility framework
- Reporting principles
- Organisational governance
- Human rights
- Labour practices
- The environment
- Fair operating practices
- Consumer issues
- Community involvement and development
- Engaging people
- Social responsibility – where are you now?
Chapter 12 Reporting
- Why report sustainability?
- Reporting principles
- Reporting standards
- Materiality and reporting
- Reporting formats
- The foundation – GRI 101
- The other universal documents – GRI 102 and GRI 103
- Economics – GRI 200 series
- Environmental – GRI 300 series
- Social – GRI 400 series
- Accounting for sustainability
- Reporting sustainability – where are you now?
