The Focus of Lean, Clean and Green
The Lean, Clean and Green Program is managed in Missouri by Missouri Enterprise and it leverages resources of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Supplier Network, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to help small and medium-size manufacturers enhance competitiveness, reduce costs and improve environmental performance.
It focuses on regulatory issues, waste generation and disposal, hazardous waste reduction and containment, emissions reduction and energy conservation as well as productivity increases and cost savings.
How Lean Fits Into Lean, Clean and Green
The program extends the proven Lean Enterprise waste identification and elimination tools and techniques from process improvement to waste material reduction and energy conservation.
Here are some examples of the relationship between Lean and Clean:
• Less scrap, fewer defects, less spoilage = reduced environmental waste
• Fewer defects, less overproduction, simpler products, right size
equipment = reduced use of raw materials
• Less storage, less inventory space needed = reduced materials, land
and energy consumed
• Less overproduction, less lighting/heating/cooling of unneeded space, less
oversized equipment = less energy use
Through participation in the Lean, Clean and Green program your company can realize:
• Lower energy bills and waste disposal costs;
• Increases in productivity, quality and resource utilization;
• Cost savings from reductions in lead time, work in process and finished inventory;
• Decreased use of hazardous materials and a cleaner, healthier facility
and environment; and
• Recognition by environmentally conscious OEMs, consumers and public officials
and agencies.
In 60 projects reported to the EPA, small and medium size manufacturers enjoyed these combined results:
| Annual Environmental Savings Identified |
$10,945,033 |
| Annual Lean Saving Identified |
$23,682,524 |
| Other Cost Savings |
$ 499,193 |
| Total Annual Potential Impact Identified |
$35,126,750 |
| One-Time Lean Impact Opportunities |
$19,829,447 |
| Energy Conserved (MM Btu) |
346,708 |
| Energy Conserved (kWh) |
101,584,483 |
| Water Conserved (gal) |
35, 320,965 |
| Air Emissions Reduced (lbs) |
156,346 |
| Solid Waste Reduced (lbs) |
3,471,901 |
| Toxic/Hazardous Chemical Use Reduced (lbs) |
177,216 |
| Water Pollution Reduced (gal) |
18,477,288 |
How the Program Works
First, the experienced professionals on our Lean, Clean and Green team will guide your company through a benchmarking process that compares you to companies similar to yours (in a large national database) to see how you rate in nine critical areas.
Then, from a questionnaire that you complete, we’ll develop a basic description of your company and preliminary data on your energy consumption and waste material generation.
Next, we’ll apply one of the fundamental Lean Enterprise tools, Value Steam Mapping, to graphically illustrate the flow of material and information in your processes and the potential for improvement in your manufacturing operations, energy conservation and reduction of waste material.
The next two steps are an environmental assessment and records review and an energy consumption/conservation audit and on-site assessment.
The environmental assessment and records review will focus on air emissions, wastewater discharges, hazardous waste handling, solid waste disposal, recycling potential and indoor air quality.
The energy assessment will typically include an on-site facility inspection that details overall energy consumption and energy conservation opportunities.
All of the data gathered in these steps will be collected and a final report will be developed to document improvement opportunities and recommend actions that you can take.
Twelve months after we present you with our report and recommendations, we will conduct a follow up meeting with you to review your progress and help you sustain the improvements that you have experienced.
More Reasons That Clean and Green Make Good Business Sense
Drawn from a variety of recent surveys, here are some more reasons to be seen as an “environmentally friendly” company:
• Some 43% of companies include green factors in their supplier selection process.
• More than 88% of executives said that the environmental commitment of suppliers
would influence their outsourcing selection.
• Nearly 95% of executives of publicly traded companies plan to add “green” clauses
in their renegotiation processes.
• Some 85% of respondents to a 2007 Consumer survey would change brands if the
company had a negative environmental image.
• In a survey of 800 MBAs, 97% were willing to forgo financial benefits to work for an
organization with a better reputation for corporate social responsibility and ethics.
Becoming Lean, Clean and Green
To help your company begin a Lean, Clean and Green Program, your Missouri Enterprise Area Business Manager will work with your staff to analyze your strengths, weaknesses, resources and opportunities and will prepare a detailed proposal and cost quotation (including potential funding support) for your consideration.
Confidentiality
All data and information about individual participants gathered in this program will be held in strict confidence.