Martin Kurdve

Green Performance Map: An Industrial Tool for Enhancing Environmental Improvements within a Production System

Empirical findings indicate a need of support for environmental management within the manufacturing industry for improving the environmental performance of their production systems. This paper elaborates on a generic, three step visualization tool, here called Green Performance Map (GPM). The GPM adds to the framework of ISO 14001, providing the user with a systematic procedure to visualize environmental performance in order to facilitate the identification, prioritization and communication of relevant environmental aspects. The results are based on theoretical studies and an extensive case study at a Swedish automotive company. Pilot tests indicate a vast potential for the GPM tool.

Chemical Management Services : Safeguarding Environmental Outcomes

Every year hundreds of new chemicals with uncertain life-cycle impacts on our health and the environment are being developed and introduced to the market. Reducing the amount and volume of chemicals in use is seen as an important option for reducing associated environmental effects. Chemical management services (CMS) is seen by environmental experts as a business strategy that may allow reduction in the volume of chemicals sold, while maintaining profits from use of chemicals for suppliers. In traditional business the user would try to achieve the same reduction with less support from the supplier. The goal of this paper is to investigate how common performance indicators can be used to monitor the environmental performance of different chemical management strategies and how CMS customers and suppliers can safeguard environmental improvements. The paper draws on experiences from implementing CMS in one of Sweden’s automotive companies and meetings with European CMS providers.

Sustainable metal working fluid systems: best and common practices for metal working fluid maintenance and system design in Swedish industry

This paper investigates the function of metal working fluid (MWF) emulsions in automotive industries in Sweden and looks at how the negative environmental and health impact of their use can be redu ...

Using the Green Performance Map: Towards Material Efficiency Measurement

Previous environmental studies indicate several barriers to circular economy and material efficiency including a lack of detailed methodologies for manufacturing improvement in terms of environmental and operational performances to measure, monitor and evaluate material consumption and waste generation. A lean and green tool, the green performance map (GPM), is an appropriate tool for different environmental initiatives including training, improvement, reporting and development. Through literature review and multiple case study methodology, this chapter presents the current application of GPM in industry and its usage to regularly measure and monitor material efficiency measurements on different levels and to remove barriers to improved material efficiency.

Implementation Challenges Affecting the Environmental Improvement Performance in Pharmaceutical Production

This paper reports on working findings in an action research-based project, implementing a green kaizen pilot in a European pharmaceutical manufacturing company. The aim of the study is to investigate how continuous improvement initiatives with focus on environment originally developed for the automotive manufacturing industry could apply to the pharmaceutical industry. It also aspires to understand the enabling and hindering issues are for such implementation. There are considerable similarities of implementing lean in general in the two sectors, however, some key differences and challenges were apparent when implementing this specific green kaizen method called Green Performance Map. An implication for pharma practitioners implementing the green kaizen method concerns how to improve working procedures and production equipment to become more environmentally friendly amid high regulatory demands on process quality. Implementation challenges are discussed in terms of fidelity, locus and extensiveness of lean practices implementation.