It is no secret that a growing number of industries have chosen to embrace more sustainable business approaches. Not only will this help to protect the environment from a long-term perspective, but itis often the most logical choice in terms of public relations alongside in-house efficiency. The production optimisation sector is certainly no exception in this case. What are some of the ways in which organisations are adopting a greener approach and why are these set to transform the term “business as usual” well into the future? These are two questions which deserve a closer look.

Focused Internal Processes to Deliver SustainableResults

The primary role of sustainable management consulting often involves concepts such as research, development, logistics, and marketing optimisation. However, major consultancy firms such as Targus understand that these business practices will often involve the use of tailor-made solutions as opposed to one-size-fits-all approaches. This is also why trusted agencies have developed more malleable techniques which tend to offer greater degrees of transparency; enabling the public to appreciate the efforts that are being made. One notable example of this trend can be seen in the more environmentally friendly approaches being taken by major petrochemical firms.

More Integrated Approaches to Natural Resource Management
It is important to note that the principle of production optimisation involves much more than the refinement of in-house processes alone. In many cases, such techniques can have a very real impact upon entire communities. One recent example which serves to cement this observation can be seen in the water management challenges that are currently being faced in Abu Dhabi. Not only must the public be provided with access to potable water, but the security of the systems themselves are very real concerns. Once again, adopting sustainable approaches will help to ensure that natural ground water is not depleted while simultaneously guaranteeing unfettered customer access.

The Notion of Green Supply Chain Management

Production optimisation is often focused upon factors such as:

• Strategic planning
• Logistics
• Sales and marketing
• Production

Of course, the severy same variables will inevitably affect the supply chains themselves. This is also why the concept of “green” supply chain management is important to address. Green supply chain management can be essentially defined as the act of adopting environemtnally friendly policies when sourcing materials, designing a product and distributing it to the end user. The main issue here is that many legacy processes may need to be adapted while others could need to be replaced altogether. This is another reason why targeted approaches to production optimisation can produce viable results. Examples include:

• Finding more efficient shipping routes.
• Developing proactive in-house monitoring solutions.
• Implementing software intended to reduce the amount of waste produced.
• Researching additional ways to reduce the carbon footprint of a business without sacrificing its supply chain capacity.

While there are still numerous challenges which need to be overcome, there is no fact that we are looking ahead towards a greener future.