How can Industrial
Engineering Help to
Achieve Sustainability ?
The Sustainability Concept
Triple Bottom Line
 People: Good for Society
Fair practices for all people and does not exploit
interest of separate parties based on money, status or
growth.
 Planet: Good for the Environment
Management of renewable and non renewable
resources while reducing waste.
 Profit: Good for the Economy
Financial benefit enjoyed by the majority of society.
The Product Life-Cycle
Cradle-to-grave:
Products are assessed at every aspect
throughout its entire life cycle (design
to disposal)
Cradle-to-cradle:
Products are evaluated for
sustainability and efficiency in
manufacturing processes, material
properties, and toxicity as well as
potential to reuse materials
Sustainability - Economics
 Multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely
and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will
ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even
when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term
interest for this to happen.
Possible Solutions:
 Triple bottom line accounting
 Emissions trading systems
 Including environmental benefits in cost-benefit
analysis
 Life cycle cost analysis
Today’s Material Flow
Approximately 25% of what goes ‘in the pipe’ comes out as
goods and services.
Natural
Resources
Source: World Resources Institute
Goods and
Services
Pollution, Waste
and Environmental
Disturbances
Tomorrow’s Material Flow
Reduce
Use of
Natural
Resources
Source: World Resources Institute
Recover
Technical
Nutrients
References
 [1] Garrett Hardin, ”The Tragedy of the Commons”, Science,
Vol. 162, No. 3859 (December 13, 1968), pp. 1243-1248.
 [2] epa.gov, nrel.gov
 [3] http://www.episodes.org/backissues/264/279-284.pdf,
http://www.groundwater.org/gi/contaminationconcerns.html
 [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommuting
 [5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel,
http://www.biodieselsustainability.com/,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
References
 [6] http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1010.htm,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logging,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp
 [7] http://www.sustainablefish.org/,
http://marinebio.org/Oceans/Conservation/sustainablefisheries.asp
 [8] http://www.epa.gov/ord/lrp/research/landfill.htm,
http://www.wm.com/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill
 [9] http://www.usgbc.org/, http://www.greenbuilding.com/,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building,
http://www.carbonsmart.com/carboncopy/2009/03/leedbreeam-and-green-star-joining-forces.html
Industrial Engineering
Approach to Sustainability
For a given topic, students should be able to address
the following questions:
 What are the issues that impact sustainability?
What is currently known about these issues?
 What are the life cycle stages?
In what stage(s) do the various impacts take place?
 How can data help?
What knowledge is needed to better understand how
to achieve sustainability?
 Where are better decisions possible?
What are possible actions to achieve sustainability?
Example:
Public Transportation
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Identify the area that needs public transportation. Develop a
public transportation plan (rail or road).
 Stage 2:
Build public transportation system.
 Stage 3:
Utilize the public transportation system.
Note: This set of stages can loop around since the system can be
expanded as more public transportation is needed.
Public Transportation
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Provide a more sustainable transportation option (stage 3).
 Planet:
Reduce the quantity of private transport, which helps to reduce
vehicle emissions in the region (stages 2 & 3).
Improve the region’s transportation infrastructure (stage 2).
 Profit:
Provide a potentially more cost-effective option of
transportation (stages 2 & 3).
Public Transportation
How Can Data Help?
 Collecting data on public transportation usage can
help guide the development in other cities.
 Collecting data on vehicle traffic before and after
building public transportation can help assess impacts.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Optimize the public transportation plan.
 Determine effective ways to improve the efficiency of
public transportation.
Example: Biodiesel for
Cleaner Energy
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Acquire resources, specifically diesel, vegetable oil (such as
from crops or waste oil), and other chemicals for processing
biodiesel.
 Stage 2:
Manufacture biodiesel. This includes the production of various
grades of biodiesel fuels using different processes.
 Stage 3:
Burn biodiesel fuel to generate power, in particular, for vehicles.
Biodiesel for
Cleaner Energy
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Provide a more sustainable alternative fuel for existing
combustion-based vehicles (stage 3).
 Planet:
Reuse vegetable oil waste (stage 1).
Emit less CO2 compared to other fuels (stage 3).
Produce glycerin for soap manufacturing (stage 2).
Recycle the catalyst (NaOH +CH3OH) throughout the
manufacturing process (stage 2).
 Profit:
Create alternatives to typical fossil fuel resources (stage 1).
Biodiesel for
Cleaner Energy
How Can Data Help?
 The performance of biodiesel vs. conventional fuels can
be compared by collecting data on fuel efficiency,
cost, emissions, etc.
 The properties of the biodiesel can be improved by
collecting data on biodiesel manufacturing via different
processes.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Optimize the performance of biodiesel fuels.
 Minimize the cost of the biodiesel powered vehicle.
Example:
Logging
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Identify where to harvest the trees.
 Stage 2:
Use the trees for paper production and other manufacturing
purposes.
 Stage 3:
Plant trees to replenish lost species.
Logging
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Create useful products made from trees (stage 2).
Balance CO2 and O2 by replenishing logged trees (stage 3).
 Planet:
Prevent soil erosion or landfall (stage 1).
Create recyclable and biodegradable products made from
trees (stage 2).
Maintain the natural bio-diversity of trees (stage 3)
 Profit:
Manufacture and sell products made from trees (stage 2).
Maintain future resources (stage 3).
Logging
How Can Data Help?
 Study CO2 levels before and after planting trees.
 Monitor deforestation and biodiversity before and after
logging and reforestation.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Optimize where and how much logging to conduct
without excessive deforestation.
 Optimize reforestation to maintain biodiversity.
Example:
Fisheries
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Locate the area/period where/when the given variety/size of
fish are found.
 Stage 2:
Conduct fishing, including unintended by-catches.
 Stage 3:
Monitor breeding and fish populations in various regions.
Fisheries
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Purchase fish for consumption (stage 2).
 Planet:
Maintain the natural distribution of food among the aquatic
fauna (stages 2 & 3).
Maintain the ocean food web by fishing the right quantity
(stages 1 & 3).
 Profit:
Sell fish to consumers (stage 2).
Consider future resources while fishing (stage 3).
Fisheries
How Can Data Help?
 Collecting data on the amount of fish caught over
different periods of time helps in maintaining natural fish
populations.
 Over-fishing can be minimized by collecting data on
breeding periods of different kinds of fish.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Optimize the quota limits on fish of different species.
 Optimize mesh sizes to minimize by-catches.
Example:
Groundwater
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Study the precipitation patterns by region to design the reservoir
system.
 Stage 2:
Capture water in branch reservoirs.
 Stage 3:
Transfer water to the main reservoir or to other reservoirs for
flood control.
 Stage 4:
Use the stored water for drinking, irrigation, hydro-electric
power, etc.
Groundwater
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Increase the availability of water for drinking, irrigation and
power generation (stage 4).
 Planet:
Minimize flooding caused by heavy rainfall (stage 2).
Reduce the scarcity of groundwater (stage 2).
 Profit:
Maintain future water resources (stage 3).
Groundwater
How Can Data Help?
 Collecting data on the water collected in a reservoir
system can help model variations in the water supply.
 Collecting data on the groundwater level before and
after building reservoirs can help to assess environmental
impacts.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Optimize the flow of water between reservoirs to
maintain the water supply and achieve flood control.
 Optimize the design of a water reservoir system.
Example:
Green Building
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Determine site and building plan.
 Stage 2:
Acquire/manufacture environmentally-friendly materials.
 Stage 3:
Construct the building.
 Stage 4:
Utilize the building.
 Stage 5:
Dispose/Reuse/Recycle the materials used for the building.
Green Building
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Improve public health by using environmentally-friendly
materials (stage 1).
 Planet:
Reduce waste by recycling/re-using (stages 2 & 5).
Improve energy efficiency and reduce water usage (stage 4).
 Profit:
Enable “green” marketing (stage 3).
Reduce resource (water, energy) and maintenance costs
(stage 4).
Green Building
How Can Data Help?
 Performance of the solar energy can be studied by
collecting data on different solar technologies.
 The impact of site orientation can be studied by
collecting data on light and heat entering a building.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Study the cost-effectiveness of using locally available
resources.
 Identify the potential of reusing the reusable materials
for various purposes.
Example: Bioreactor /
Waste Management
Life Cycle Stages
 Stage 1:
Build the bioreactor.
 Stage 2:
Adjust the micro-organisms in the process to handle different
types of waste.
 Stage 3:
Convert waste to useful fertilizers and methane gas. Harmless
gases are released.
 Stage 4:
Scrap the bioreactor.
Bioreactor for
Waste Management
Sustainability Impacts
 People:
Reduce harmful emissions of due to decomposition (stage 3).
 Planet:
Recycle moisture in waste decomposition, making the process
more efficient (stage 2).
Reduce landfill space by speeding up waste decomposition
(stages 2 & 3).
 Profit:
Preserve land from landfill use, so that it can be used for other
purposes in the future (stage 3).
Produce fertilizers and methane energy as useful products
(stage 3).
Bioreactor for
Waste Management
How Can Data Help?
 Efficiency can be improved by collecting data on the
decomposition rates of different wastes using different
bio-processes.
 Emissions can be studied by collecting data on the
gases emitted during waste decomposition.
Where are Better Decisions Possible?
 Identify the potential for converting different waste
types into useful products.
 Identify the most cost-effective bio-process to achieve
the desired waste decomposition.