world day of interconnectedness

What is sustainable production?

Most of today's corporations and workplaces are unsustainable. They consume too much raw material and energy, generate too much waste, and produce products and services that generate too great a burden on the assimilative capacities of the planet. Indeed, many such workplaces place employees and managers at significant physical and psychological risk and offer little long term economic security or job satisfaction. Too often the economic uncertainty surrounding these enterprises erodes the social stability and economic security of employees and the communities in which they live.

While many employees and communities accept these unsustainable conditions as an alternative to joblessness and poverty, these conditions and qualities are far less than the ideals that we seek in the places where we work. Instead, most would be pleased to see the creation of workplaces organized to be safe, clean, productive, secure and enjoyable. This vision comprises the goal of Sustainable Production.

The commitment to Sustainable Production integrates concern for the long term viability of the environment, the workforce, and the community with the financial life of the corporation or institution. Sustainable Production is an approach to production that unifies the typically fragmented components of environmental and occupational health with the economic security of the enterprise.

Production is here defined in a broad sense to mean the creation of goods and services whether this involves industrial processes, agricultural operations, commercial activities, transportation, or social and community services. It makes no difference to this definition whether such production is organized as private, for-profit operations; non-profit operations; or government functions.

Sustainability is here defined within the spirit of the term "sustainable development" promoted by the 1987 report by the World Commission on Environment and Development as development that meets the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of the future to meet its own needs. Thus, sustainability links current organizational conditions to future consequences in a manner that assures enhancement or, at least, minimizes deterioration.


Therefore, Sustainable Production is defined as the creation of goods and services using processes and systems that are non-polluting; conserving of energy and natural resources; economically viable; safe and healthful for employees, communities, and consumers; and socially and creatively rewarding for all working people.

Traditionally, these objectives are promoted independently, and, at times, even antagonistically. In contrast, Sustainable Production is promoted as the central organizing principle for developing new forms of enterprise that meet all of these objectives in concert. Sustainable Production provides a conceptual framework for the design of production in the context of the ecological systems of the planet and the organization of work in the context of the social systems of the community, the nation, and the world. Indeed, Sustainable Production proposes that work can be organized to enhance the environment and to be of benefit to employees and communities and that these conditions can lead, always in the long term, and often in the short term, to more economically viable and productive enterprises.

The following ten principles serve as guidelines for implementing programs in Sustainable Production:

• Products and packaging are designed to be safe and ecologically sound throughout their life cycle;

• Services are organized to satisfy real human needs and promote equity and fairness;

• Wastes and ecologically incompatible byproducts are reduced, eliminated or recycled;

• Chemical substances or physical agents and conditions that present hazards to human health or the environment are eliminated;

• Energy and materials are conserved, and the forms of energy and materials used are most appropriate for the desired ends;

• Work places and technologies are designed to minimize or eliminate chemical, ergonomic and physical hazards;

• Work is organized to conserve and enhance the efficiency and creativity of employees;

• The security and well-being of all employees is a priority, as is the continuous development of their talents and capacities;

• The communities around workplaces are respected and enhanced economically, socially, culturally and physically; and

• The long-term economic viability of the enterprise or institution is enhanced.

How does the Lowell Center bring sustainability to life?

The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production ties together diverse groups, conducts scientific research, but most importantly, spearheads change.  The following results illustrate how the Lowell Center brings sustainability to life:

 

 

By conducting scientific research that leads to improvements in state and healthcare policies.

• The Lowell Center's report, “An Investigation of Alternatives to Mercury-Containing Products” was used as supporting material that led to the country’s first bans of mercury containing products for switches, relays, and medical devices in Maine and Connecticut.
• Led an initiative to encourage healthcare payers to finance effective environmental interventions for asthma patients.  As a result, three managed care organizations in Massachusetts opted to pay for and provide in-home environmental assessments and materials to reduce environmental asthma triggers.

By encouraging dialogue among U.S., state and federal stakeholders about sustainable chemicals policy reform.

• As sponsor of the CG3 workgroup (Green Chemistry and Commerce Council), the Lowell Center continues to bring together companies, government and non-government organizations who are leading the green chemistry movement for developing new products.
• Organized nationwide workshops to train more than 300 companies and other organizations about REACH—the European Union chemical directive—to help companies stay competitive in a global marketplace.

By conducting research and providing technical assistance to the health care industry to reduce occupational and environmental hazards.

• Developed the Sustainable Hospitals Project web site, www.sustainablehospitals.org.  It helps healthcare practitioners identify and evaluate safer alternatives to existing products and practices.

By developing asthma patient registries and establishing a standardized system of data reporting.

• On behalf of the Boston Public Health Commission, the Lowell Center is developing an asthma registry in Boston, Massachusetts to improve patient quality of care and target prevention and control programs.

By improving the way organizations define and track progress towards sustainability.

• Developed the Sustainability Indicators and Management System to help industry measure and implement more sustainable forms of production.

By leading a group to advance a Common Agenda for Health and Environment.

• The Lowell Center developed the Toward Tomorrow web site, www.towardtomorrow.org to encourage people to share their visions of the most important elements of a healthy human population and environment.

By developing a white paper that reviews the current state of the science on environmental and occupational contributions to cancer. 

• The resulting paper, “Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature,” demonstrates why environmental and occupational cancers should be given serious consideration by individuals and institutions concerned with cancer prevention.

By conducting research on commonly used brominated flame retardants - decabromodiphenylether, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and  hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). 

Identified potential alternatives for specific types of uses.  Conducted an initial assessment of key characteristics such as performance, cost, health and