Practical Guide to Sustainability Management

The latest guidebook from author and consultant Dr. Robin Kent is Sustainability Management in Plastics Processing, newly available from the British Plastics Federation (BPF, short.ptonline.com/BPF). Founder of engineering consultancy Tangram Technology in the U.K., Kent is known for two 1998 works, Cost Management in Plastics Processing and Energy Management in Plastics Processing (the latter was the source of 18 articles in this magazine from 2009 to 2013).

As in his previous books, the new 434-page soft-cover volume adopts a brisk, practical tone to dispense nuggets of facts and advice on a complex topic in an easy-to-digest style, full of diagrams, “Tips,” bulleted lists and short notes in page margins. Kent begins with a discussion of “What is sustainability?” and offers two definitions from the UN’s World Commission on Environment and Development and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. His next major point: “Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ … The best companies see sustainability issues as not simply as ‘avoiding disaster’ but as a way to establish a competitive advantage.” In the following 11 chapters, Kent discusses management systems—environmental, energy and health/safety; resource-efficient design; raw materials (efficient use, recycling, biomaterials and biodegradability; manufacturing issues, including waste reduction, sustainable procurement and sustainable distribution; manufacturing energy use (with specific sections on injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, cooling, drying and buildings); carbon footprinting; water use in manufacturing; waste minimization; life-cycle management; social responsibility; and sustainability reporting. Each chapter includes a “Where are you now?” self-assessment chart to be filled out by the user. There’s also an appendix on UN Sustainable Development Goals.