Life Cycle Management
Sarah McLaren left, and Anthony Hume right with John Bowmar from ACMA Industries.
Landcare Research is leading an innovative project for New Zealand manufacturers to embrace continuous environmental improvement through life cycle management (LCM), as the environmental impacts of doing business are increasingly under the spotlight.
LCM is a point of focus for many New Zealand manufacturers including those facing pressure from customers, their supply chain or regulatory authorities to improve their environmental credentials.
It is a relatively new environmental concept that takes a ‘cradle to grave’ approach to products by recognising that all product life-cycle stages – raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, use and waste – have environmental impacts that can be minimised. LCM is good for the environment through more efficient use of raw materials and energy, and reduced waste. The efficiencies also result in cost savings for manufacturers and improved decision making to meet customer needs on environmental needs.
LCM principles are increasingly being undertaken by businesses overseas and many markets are now demanding the same of their New Zealand counterparts. For others, it is simply a ‘ticket to operate’ as regulatory authorities in Europe, the USA and Japan now expect manufacturers in many sectors to take greater responsibility for the life cycle of their products.
Project leader Anthony Hume says a commitment to LCM can therefore provide New Zealand manufacturers with a market edge. New Zealand exporters are regularly being asked what they’re doing to improve their environmental performance, and many countries are now only wanting to work with businesses that can prove their environmental credentials.
‘LCM is more than simply recycling, it’s about changing business processes and ensuring sustainable access to valuable overseas markets.’
Dr Hume says the project will help local businesses to develop in-house expertise to deal with ongoing and future environmental issues, realise potential to increase productivity through continuous environmental improvement, position themselves to confidently compete in home and overseas markets with credibility under internationally recognised environmental and sustainability standards, and develop indicators that can guide company strategy and integrate initiatives for value enhancement along the supply chain.
Six manufacturing companies have been chosen as case studies to illustrate the potential for implementing LCM over a 2-year period.
The companies will have the opportunity to tackle their economic, environmental and social impacts and provide solutions.
‘There are three major elements within the programme to build a comprehensive framework for LCM in the manufacturing sector,’ Mr Hume says.
‘These include each company selecting an LCM “champion” to attend a training programme run by Landcare Research, undertaking life cycle studies of selected products in the case study companies, and research by the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Economic Development, Business New Zealand and Landcare Research to investigate the financial, organisational and environmental advantages of LCM.
‘It’s a big undertaking asking for 45 days’ involvement in each of the first two years. However, some of these businesses will have two or three “champions” to assist in the project.’
In the final three years of the project the findings from the work with the six case study organisations will be used to promote LCM best practice in New Zealand. Throughout the 5-year project there will be research and evaluation to learn how companies can most efficiently integrate life-cycle thinking into their practices and how these outcomes can be disseminated throughout the economy.
The research focus of the LCM project will help address three issues critical to the successful adoption of LCM practices in New Zealand: barriers and enablers for LCM in organisations, benefits of adopting LCM, and policy implications of product-oriented environmental management.
Dr Anthony Hume
Case Studies