A recent survey showed nearly 2 in 3 companies believe sustainability is critical to staying competitive in today’s global market, with 81 percent of companies on the S&P 500 engaging in sustainability reporting.

But while a growing number of companies are recognizing the bottom-line benefits of sustainable manufacturing, many businesses still see sustainability programs as a net cost. To some, sustainability is just another buzzword, marketing tactic or way to keep investors and consumers off your back.

In this post, we’ll look at what sustainability really means, examining some real-life results to see what companies can aspire to when implementing sustainable manufacturing programs.

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Companies tend to view safety and sustainability in isolation from one another. It’s only natural, given that safety is largely a regulatory mandate while sustainability is more often treated like a marketing campaign.

But the truth is, companies that operate unsustainably are more likely to have safety problems, just as you would expect companies with a poor safety record to have weak sustainability performance.

Ultimately, both safety and sustainability are important if companies want to achieve operational excellence. In this post, we’ll look at the connections between safety, sustainability and operational excellence, highlighting how integration of safety and sustainability efforts is an effective strategy for achieving operational excellence.

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I drive a fuel-efficient vehicle, minimize trips, grow my own vegetables and take reusable shopping bags to the store. I buy local whenever possible, use energy efficient appliances, avoid buying excess stuff and recycle my trash.

And yet, I know without a doubt that despite all this, I still have a huge carbon footprint. Why? Because of my air travel.

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Years ago, sustainability wasn’t even on the radar for most companies, but today, 93% of the world’s largest 250 companies produce annual corporate sustainability reports.

What’s driving the growth behind sustainability reporting? It’s not just some warm and fuzzy that allows the marketing department to slap a green label on the company website or products. After all, collecting data on Sustainability is a complex task, one that requires significant involvement from multiple operational areas (not to mention the time and effort that goes into producing the report itself).

As it turns out, many leading companies report that collecting and reporting on sustainability data delivers serious business benefits. Here’s a look at some of the biggest benefits that consistently make the list.

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