Making your Mark on the Planet — Visual Factories
By: Visual Factories
Tags: Sustainability, Manufacturing Software, Manufacturers, Manufacturing

Making your Mark on the Planet

Making CSR Work For Your Manufacturing Business

It’s no secret that when it comes to the environment, the entire manufacturing industry has a not-so-stellar reputation. You might be tempted to remind people — rightfully so — that without your input, we’d probably still be in the coal ages — literally. It is because of industrious manufacturers throughout history that our lives today are so much easier and less labor-intensive than those of our predecessors. Manufacturers convert raw materials into items that make our lives better — think cars, laptops and even your overworked-and-underappreciated washing machine. You might like to think that your contribution to society is obvious and much appreciated by all but, unfortunately, that is not the case.

Let’s not forget that we are living in the age of Millennials and gen Z. These people don’t just buy things because they like them or feel like they need them. They actually want to understand who they are buying from. If your values don’t resonate with Ms. Millennial, she’ll probably just go off and buy her smoothie-maker from Mr. Sustainability down the road.

In today’s competitive market, attracting and keeping loyal customers is as much about “speaking their language” as it is about creating great products.

Question: So how do you speak the language of today’s consumer?

Answer: Show you care about issues that affect all of us. Show you are committed to doing your bit to make life on the planet better.

Question: How do you do that?

Answer: Through CSR.

Just imagine how popular you would be with your 21st-century customers if you made a commitment to:

Ensure that 100% of your shipments to or from customers are carbon neutral

Maximize the use of recycled materials in your entire product-line

partner with nonprofits, local governments, and schools to launch projects that allow you to make a real difference in society

These commitments are actually doable. In fact, they were recently announced by mega-corporation, Google, who are blazing the trail, showing the rest of us how to do CSR in style.

Instead of seeing CSR as yet another thing you need to allocate precious resources to, you can look at it as an opportunity, like Google did, to impact society and the world, and to communicate your values to your customers fostering their loyalty and their trust.

It’s so easy to sit back and leave the hard work to the Googles of this world who are already running their own very successful CSR campaigns — but this would be a mistake not to mention, a missed opportunity. Your customers want to hear from YOU. They want you to make a statement about your values and they want to see some commitment to environmental issues. Yes, really!

CSR need not mean doing something that is out of your comfort zone. It can simply involve contributing your expertise or resources in some very small way — the effect of which will ripple out to make a big impact.

Let’s see what we can learn from those who are already out there doing their bit…

In the Footsteps of the Giants

CSR — Action Steps For Manufacturers

So, now you get why CSR is so important for your manufacturing business and you want to get started on building your CSR program. Where do you begin?

A simple, “People, Planet and Profit” approach is a good place to start. This will ensure that your acting in the best interest of your employees, people in the local community, and the planet as a whole, while still maximizing the bottom line.

Here are some suggested pathways that might spark ideas of environmental innovations you can begin to implement in your own factory:

A Fine Balance

There is only one Planet Earth — it is up to us, as the human race, to take care of it. As manufacturers, we need to strike a balance between continuing to innovate and industrialize while also protecting our most valuable assets — the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we live on. It is the challenge of all manufacturers to find that balance, take steps towards preserving the world’s natural resources and communicate about your efforts to our customers and followers. Yes, challenge is the word of the day but it’s also an opportunity — one that could pay off big time when it comes to keeping your customers happy and your business viable for many years to come. We all want to see the manufacturing industry flourish, thrive and continue serving humanity as it has done for decades. Shifting focus slightly in the direction of environmental sustainability will help make this a reality.