Manufacturing Magazine September 2024 | Page 85

PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS

Sustainability can be fraught with contradiction – on the micro and macro level . For example : a consumer buying vegan leather , made of plastic , to reduce their environmental impact . Or a manufacturer investing in AI , which uses up to nine litres of water per kWh of energy , to enhance their energy efficiency .

This contradiction is everywhere . We all participate in and benefit from systems integral to modern life that negatively impact the planet . With the destructive impact of climate change there is an urgent need to reform these systems . But what is the solution when every solution still makes you complicit ?
Successful businesses acknowledge the contradiction and continue working to make progress and create positive value . No manufacturer quite embraces this mindset like the global chemicals manufacturer BASF .
Bringing sustainability and chemical manufacturing together Sustainability has been a concern in the chemicals industry for a long time .
BASF is expanding its Biopolymers portfolio by ecoflex ® BMB