Sustainable Manufacturing

Abstract

Earth’s resources are limited. With the explosion in world population and the increasing rate of consumption, it will be increasingly difficult to sustain the quality of life on earth if serious efforts are not made now to conserve and effectively use the earth’s limited resources. It is projected that the current world population of 5.6 billion people would rise to 8.3 billion people by the year 2025 [Furukawa 1996]. This is an increase of 48.21% from the current level. Yet, earth’s resources such as fossil fuel, landfills, quality air and water are increasingly being depleted or polluted. So, why there is a growth in population, there is a decline in the necessary resources to sustain the increasing population. Since the mid-1980s, we have witnessed a rapid proliferation of new products with shorter life cycles. This has created tremendous wastes that have become problematic as more and more of the landfills are usurped. Increasingly, more and more environmental activist groups are forming and with consumer supports, are putting pressures on corporations to improve their environmental performance. These efforts are also being supported by the increase in the number of new legislatures to protect the natural environment.