Proposed ASTM standard for sustainable manufacturing

A proposed ASTM International standard will help industry adopt more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices by informing manufacturers how they can incorporate sustainability into their daily operations.

ASTM WK35702, Guide for Evaluation of Environmental Aspects of Sustainability of Manufacturing Processes, describes methods to enhance resource efficiency, considering environmental impacts, at the manufacturing process level. According to ASTM member Paul Witherell, it will “help identify opportunities in operations planning, provide guidelines for collecting data and give insight into how to calculate metrics on which informed decisions can be made”.

Witherell said the primary users of WK35702, once it has been approved, will be SMEs looking to implement more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into their production line. He noted that “there is currently no standard to provide SMEs with technical and measurement guidelines on implementing sustainable manufacturing practices into their process decisions” and “SMEs do not always have access to the tools and in-house expertise that larger corporations have”.

This proposed standard will help such entities evaluate their own practices and provide them with information on which decisions can be made. Businesses will then be able to pass on this information to their users.

“More and more consumers are making purchasing decisions based on how well a product manufacturer is able to adopt more sustainable practices,” Witherell said. “WK35702 will be a step toward enabling manufacturers to educate their customers to be more informed about how well such products are manufactured, if they so choose.”

The standard is being developed by Subcommittee E60.13 on Sustainable Manufacturing, part of ASTM Committee E60 on Sustainability. The subcommittee invites participation in the development of ASTM WK35702 and other proposed standards, including the following:

• ASTM WK35703, Terminology for Sustainable Manufacturing
• ASTM WK35705, Guide for Sustainability Characterization of Manufacturing Processes
• ASTM WK38312, Classification for Waste Generated at Manufacturing Facilities and Associated Claims

To become an ASTM member and participate in the development of standards, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.