Redesigning and Realigning Industrial Processes with Global Redesigning and Realigning Industrial Processes with Global Environmental Changes: An PerspectiveEnvironmental Changes: An Perspective

Dr. Prashant Mehta

Assistant Professor, National Law University, Jodhpur

Email: prashantmehta1@rediffmail.com

Sus tainable Organization

Sustainable Organizations are adopting Cleaner Production technique and methods

By definition cleaner production is "The continuous The continuous improvement of industrial processes and products to improvement of industrial processes and products to reduce the uses of resources and energy; to prevent the reduce the uses of resources and energy; to prevent the pollution of air, water, and land; to reduce wastes at pollution of air, water, and land; to reduce wastes at source; and to minimize risks to the human population source; and to minimize risks to the human population and the environmentand the environment““

Eco-efficiency as a standard of performance which creates an integrated link between improved economic performances, higher resource efficiency, and lower the environmental impact.

Impending Environmental Threats

Global Threats to Ecos ys tem

Viability

• Loss of crop and grazing land due to erosion, desertification, conversion of land to nonfarm uses, and other factors (about 20 million hectares per year).

• Depletion of the world's tropical forests, leading to loss of resources, soil erosion, flooding, and loss of biodiversity (about 10 million hectares a year).

• Extinction of Species, principally from the global loss of habitat and the associated loss of generic diversity (over 1,000 plant and animal species each year).

• Rapid and Uncontrolled population growth especially in fast developing economies / BRICK Nations.

• Shortage of fresh potable water and water resources.

• Overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution in the marine environment (25 of the world's most valuable fisheries are already seriously depleted due to overfishing).

• Threats to human health from mismanagement of pesticides, hazardous substances, and waterborne pathogens.

• Climate Change is probably related to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

• Acid rain and complex mix of air pollutants, its lethal effects on fisheries, forests, and crops.

• Pressures on energy resources, including shortages of non renewable energy resources.

( ) Sus tainable Development SD and

Organizational Leve l Metrics

Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sus tainable

: Development Life

Support Model

Sus tainable Indus trial Performance

Sus tainable Indus trial Performance

• Automation - refers to computerizing processes to speed up the existing tasks, improves efficiency, and effectiveness of process.

• Rationalization of Procedures - refers to streamlining of standard operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks, so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient.

• Reengineering - refers to radical redesign of business processes. It aims at:

– eliminating repetitive, paper-intensive, bureaucratic tasks

– reducing costs significantly

– improving product /service quality standars

• Paradigm Shift - refers to a more radical form of change where the nature of business and the nature of the organization is questioned. Improves strategic standing of the organization

Sus tainable Indus trial Performance

. A Starting from Loads to Impacts

The traditional environmental performance model advised industry to achieve improvements by reducing their loads (footprints) on the environment (i.e., reducing material, energy, service intensity; eliminating toxic dispersion; enhancing product durability, & materials recyclability etc.). The sustainability analyst would also need to consider how gradual but persistent accumulation of all such behaviors be examined according to their actual impacts on the environment and its impact on society.

. B Starting from Direction to Target Zone

Pollution prevention mandates, product stewardship, energy compliance, material efficiency, and cleaner methods of production which will reduce environmental degradation due to industrial inputs and outputs. They fail, however, to provide guidance on how well industrial activities fit within the carrying capacities of local, regional, and global environments. Sustainability implies moving from metrics that measure environmental friendliness, consciousness, or greening to setting up of absolute standardized benchmarks or "zones" of performance as determined by ecosystem and socio-system health, the resilience and dynamic adaptability of life support systems, or social and ecological carrying capacities.

. C Starting from Chemical and Phys ical

to BiologicalThe industry studies reveal that the majority of currently employed metrics are concerned with material productivity, energy intensity, and amount of toxic emissions. While these metrics will be of continued relevance and importance, the sustainability approach suggests that the primary threats to the ecosystem lie in habitat destruction (and the concomitant loss of biodiversity) and the huge exploitation of renewable resources (i.e., fresh water, fisheries, forests, wetlands, etc.) beyond their rates of regeneration. Ecosystem health, Ecological integrity, and Associated services will be of critical importance.

. D Starting form Dis crete and

Static to Sys temic and DynamicCorporate Environmental Performance Indicators used today are generally considered to be distinct and unrelated. The sustainability framework would require a holistic assessment, focusing on wholes rather than parts, of industrial performance in relation to impacted on living systems. Such a methodology would examine interrelationships and feedback processes rather than linear cause that effect chains. Because dynamics and cyclicality are so fundamental in social and ecological systems, the sustainability approach would tend to focus on patterns of change in system structure rather than static snapshots. The sustainability analyst would need to make connections across multiple spatial and temporal scales.

. E Starting form Natural to Social

Social progress is commonly acknowledged as one of the three pillars of sustainable development along with ecological balance and economic progress, but it is typically downplayed or ignored in most business process and treatments. Problems such as poverty, gender bias, population growth, and environmental degradation are highly interdependent and often result in vicious downward spirals of ecological and economic decline. Without gains in a variety of social factors, any gains in human progress derived from pollution prevention and eco-efficiency could be negated. Sustainability metrics therefore must focus on industry's impacts on co-evolving social and natural systems.

Proces s Modification

Future AheadBetween the idea and the reality, between the conception and the creation, falls the shadow. The notions and metrics of sustainable organization currently lie in this shadow. The central task of corporate task managers is to bring them into practice with greater adaptability. The scientific challenges of constructing and operationalizing impact based metrics, geared to targets of sustainable systems, and gauging ecological and social consequences in a holistic and dynamic manner are need of the hour. While the task of developing sustainability standards and associated metric systems will involve the scientific, governmental, corporate, and nongovernmental communities, the responsibility for ensuring a sustainable world will fall largely on the shoulders of the growing industry.

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