While it takes people to perform the tasks necessary for environmental sustainability, no substantial improvement will happen unless a company commits to funding research and development for these activities. A major corporate commitment is needed to produce high performing products. Manufacturers who are serious about being leaders in environmental sustainability may make substantial investments into environmental research and technology. And, while both these product systems will continue to have a significant market and environmental impact, we will continue to invest in new technologies and in improvements of existing technologies to make our products even better. Although encouraging employee ingenuity and funding those efforts can result in breakthrough technology, it is important to make sure that the technology can meet recognized performance standards.
Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure that products perform as promised.
We must expect environmental products to meet the same standards as those applied to traditional products. The same performance issues impact processes used to manufacture products. At present, several key indicators allow manufacturers to determine whether their processes and products are reducing the impact on the environment. Some of the more important indicators in manufacturing are reductions in the use of energy, water, and waste, as well as reductions in air emissions. For example, we reduced our energy consumption by 67 percent, while we increased production by 85 percent.