The manufacturing industry is booming, but the increase in production and processes can certainly
take their toll on the environment. Barry Crackett is a product designer at the industrial, agricultural,
and municipal brushware company Brushtec. The brand is consistently working to make their
processes greener, and here he will be sharing his top five tips for making your manufacturing
operations more eco-friendly.
With recent figures showing that the value of UK manufacturers’ product sales increased by 4.1%
between 2016 and 2017, it’s clear that the sector is certainly thriving (Office of National Statistics).
And, while that’s great news for all manufacturing and production businesses, this doesn’t come
without an environmental impact.
Whether you manufacture chemicals, food, or anything else, your processes are bound to emit some
harmful greenhouse gases, as well as use up a lot of energy. So, with this and the expansion of the
industry in mind, it’s clear that we all need to be taking measures to make our processes more eco-
friendly. Here, I will be sharing my top tips for reducing your environmental impact while still
allowing your business to progress.
Carry out an energy audit
Before you begin making any changes, you should carry out an energy audit so you can see how
much energy you’re using both overall and on each step of the manufacturing process to identify
where you could be using less. These audits can be done by yourself or you can hire a professional to
ensure you don’t miss any important observations. These usually include monitoring production
lines, machinery, lighting, and anything else that is guilty of guzzling excess energy and harming the
environment along the way.