Realizing Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing in the Post–COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The unique and unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have resulted in significant disruptions to diverse manufacturing supply chains across the globe. The negative economic impacts of these unexpected and rapid changes in demand and available supplies have been severe, and the economic sustainability of many businesses has been revealed as being highly sensitive to such changes. COVID-19 will inevitably change manufacturing, potentially in a way that is not sustainable unless we factor sustainability into our “redesign.” Otherwise, the industry will remain overwhelmed in a reactionary cycle when the next major problem emerges, such as a lack of resources during a natural or man-made disaster. In this article, we present strategies for addressing three sustainability challenges relevant to manufacturing introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) an increase in waste generation, (2) uncertainty in life cycle impacts, and (3) navigating new modes of operation for manufacturing. To mitigate the sustainability challenges of COVID-19 and create a more resilient industrial sector, we need to assess the potential of each risk to product development and production processes. We envision a systematic integration of sustainable manufacturing principles and metrics into the business practices of manufacturing enterprises, including the products they produce and the processes used to create them. Realizing this vision will require greater availability and transparency of key data related to environmental and social sustainability factors, which can be used to create a clean and sustainable future in which pandemic and disaster readiness is realized through sustainable manufacturing.

How is COVID-19 altering the manufacturing landscape? A literature review of imminent challenges and management interventions

“…Another unique challenge of shutdowns/lockdowns is the fate of finished products, including food items with limited shelf lives, which are unable to reach the markets due to logistical disruptions (Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ); these are generating piles of waste with nowhere to go, and the absence of recycling programmes for unused products is not helping the situation. Some studies including Harris et al ( 2020 ) and Juergensen et al ( 2020 ) find that lockdowns have created many challenges for UK manufacturers and European SMEs, with the supply side suffering from logistical disruptions and labour shortages, and the demand side hit by declining demands owing to the lack of customer confidence in the sustainability and performance of numerous global supply chains.…”

“…The manufacturing industry was under tremendous pressure to meet the sudden increase in demand for critical medical equipment and associated paraphernalia, such as ventilators, surgical masks, gloves, testing swabs, face shields, sanitizers, respirators, oxygen valves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) (Advincula et al, 2020 ; Bragazzi, 2020 ; Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ; Hoosain et al, 2020 ; Liu et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Napoleone & Prataviera, 2020 ; Patel & Gohil, 2020 ; Queiroz et al, 2020 ; Tareq et al, 2021 ; Wuest et al, 2020 ). The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that PPE production had to go up by 40% to meet the shortage in 2020 (Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ). In addition to the medical supplies, manufacturers of specific non-substitutable essential items, such as hand sanitizers and toilet paper, also faced a massive surge in demand (Wuest et al, 2020 ).…”

“…As the situation evolved, the bullwhip effect enveloped the manufacturing industry, causing disruptions and putting integrated supply chain operations in jeopardy, and the challenges of immediate product shortages, logistical bottlenecks, and even overproduction became prominent (Cai & Luo, 2020 ; Handfield et al, 2020 ). Visibility across supply chains is generally limited, which when combined with such a bullwhip effect, leads to panic and, in the case of COVID-19, has caused further problems of inventory excess and stockpiling (Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Many studies have vouched for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies to improve social capital, and increase supply chain productivity (Kim & Lee, 2021 ). Digital technologies also help align human capital and environmental resources to improve product lifecycle predictions (Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ). In extending the discussion on AI, some studies also investigate the potential of robotics.…”

“…Policies should thus focus on long-term subsidized digitalization-specific loans, funding for training and apprenticeships, financial aid to support company growth, and digital advisory support available for supply chains (Harris et al, 2020 ). In addition to the advisory, specific policies can be aimed at capacitating academic institutions with training programmes and certifications, to upskill the workforce in rendering them digitally fit (Diaz-Elsayed et al, 2020 ; Kamarthi & Li, 2020 ). In further empowering the workforce, propositions have been made to introduce interest-free capital from governments to account for fixed costs in the industry, including wages (Sahoo & Ashwani, 2020 ).…”