The transition to more sustainable manufacturing is urgently needed. We need to produce with radically less use of energy, virgin material and other resources. As a response to those needs, sustainable manufacturing has emerged as a concept and practise with the underlaying goal that manufacturing shall preserve resources, still contributing to economic growth and human welfare. The manufacturing industry plays a central role in addressing the UN’s global sustainable development goals.
Sustainable Manufacturing focuses on development and operations of manufacturing systems and processes, with manufacturing’s environmental impacts in focus. The chapters in the book are organised from a life cycle perspective bringing up topics and showing how a manufacturing company can address sustainability issues in each life cycle stage.
This book is designed to be an introductory textbook applicable for students in higher education and for industrial practitioners, seeking an overview of sustainable manufacturing. It contains nine chapters which are easy to digest and include numerous examples of how to implement sustainable manufacturing in practice.