2.4 Clean technology

• Incremental solutions


  Advantages:

  • Able to exploit existing technologies; no need to develop new solutions
  • Minimal changes to manufacturing processes and technologies.
  • Respond to some aspects of legislation quickly and efficiently
  • Low risk
  • Improvement to competitiveness

  Disadvantages:

  • Small changes need to be made frequently in order to comply with new or evolving regulations.
  • Low potential for market growth as the marketplace is crowded with competitors offering similar solutions.
• Radical Solutions


  Advantages:

  • Opportunity to innovate with associated benefits (patents, first to market, fewer competitors)
  • High potential for market growth
  • Innovative approaches can develop new technologies

  Disadvantages:

  • Research and development (R&D) can be costly and lengthy
  • High level of risk
• Clean technology


  Broad term that describes products and processes that reduce waste and use as little  non-renewable materials and energy as possible.

  This can include a range of technologies and strategies, all with the goal of minimizing environmental impact.
• Drivers for cleaning up manufacturing

  Reasons of implementation of clean technology:

  • promoting positive impacts of the company's products or services. 
  • ensuring neutral impact or minimizing negative impacts through conserving natural resources: 
  • reducing pollution and use of energy
  • reducing wastage of energy and resources: installing solar panels to power manufacturing

  Factors that influence how and why a company may implement clean technologies:

  • Social: Public pressure
  • Economic: Subsidies/taxes input
  • Political: Requirement
• International legislation and targets for reducing pollution and waste


  Various international targets have been set for reducing pollution and waste.

  It's a driver that would influence a company's decision to incorporate green/clean technologies into its manufacturing process.
• End-of-pipe technologies (EOP)


  Technologies are focused on reducing or eliminating pollutants at the last step of the manufacturing phase.

  Although they don't eliminate the production of a harmful substance; rather, the goal is to prevent or minimize the release of the substance into the natural environment.

  It isn't the best choice, instead manufacturers should focus on eliminating the need of producing harmful chemicals.
• Comparison of End-Of-Pipe and Clean Manufacturing

  1. Passive: the pollution is ignored 
  2. Reactive: pollution is still produced and released into the environment, just less.
  3. Constructive: End-of-Pipe technologies are used to reduce the impact of the pollution; However, production methods have not changed and pollution is still produced and treated
  4. Proactive: Production methods are changed to reduce waste and pollution before it is produced. 

  
• System level solutions

  Solutions that address the whole system, not just the components. These solutions are regulator in manner (taxes, tax benefits, legislation, etc.) that aim to reduce consumption of raw materials, decrease pollution and waste throughout the manufacturing process, and increase the use of sustainable energy, materials and practices. 

  System level solutions, like cradle-to-cradle design and circular economy solutions, are complex and require participation from a range of stakeholders, some of who may have opposing interests.