Category: Raw Materials

Top 5 reasons why environmental problems can hide within a Lean Six Sigma initiative

Lean and Six Sigma are established approaches to improving processes to make organizations more successful. It seems only natural that we would be able to reduce environmental problems with these same approaches. Just by having an improvement program, you will naturally improve the environment when you take out waste and inefficiencies in your company. However,
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Toyota Kentucky facility reflects parent company’s commitment to the environment

I was fortunate to take a tour of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) facility in Georgetown, KY. I say fortunate because it is one of the best manufacturing facilities in North America, and Toyota is one of the top companies in the world. When you want to benchmark how a company implements lean and
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“Six Sigma for Sustainability” book is a must-read!

My background in statistics and Six Sigma was what started me down the path of process improvement. Later on, I added the Lean approach and experience, to balance out my approach, and make it more holistic. As I became more focused on environmental sustainability in my personal life, I quickly saw how nicely these techniques
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Simple checklist to green your office or restaurant

Portland is leading the charge once again. In 2006, the Portland Office of Sustainable Development (now the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability) commissioned research with dozens of local small businesses. The research revealed that businesses will embrace resource efficiency and sustainability if those services are offered in an easy, one-stop approach. Sustainability at Work is the
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20 Lean and Green organizations share environmental successes

The best way to convince your management to embrace sustainability is to show the success of others, especially competitors and customers who are doing the right thing. Pamela Gordon has compiled success stories from 20 international organizations in her book, Lean and Green: Profit For Your Workplace and the Environment. The companies highlighted in the
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recycled content packaging minimal

Design for the Environment (DfE) and why your company needs to jump on board

Product designers have many different requirements and stakeholders to consider. Design for the Environment (DfE) criteria may appear to be just another set of considerations or requirements that the designer needs to balance and optimize. However, it is quickly becoming one of the more important considerations, and should be highlighted and tracked closely as a
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Rockwell Collins goes green with LEED buildings

I had the opportunity to tour one of the LEED certified buildings on the Rockwell Collins campus in Cedar Rapids, IA. The older building of the two is Gold certified, and the newer one is Silver. At the beginning of the project, they discovered that many LEED buildings cost around $250 per square foot. They
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Kinnick Stadium recycling needs a boost

While watching my Iowa Hawkeyes finish off an incredible football season, I began to think about how much trash gets generated at a sporting event. Although I realize that the 70,000 people who attend the games were probably going to generate “some” amount of trash that day, even if they didn’t go to a game,
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