Executive Summary
Sustainable development is a concept of great relevance in the contemporary society. The idea of sustainable development emphasizes the need of adopting safe practices that have the potential of minimizing the detrimental effect of human activities on the environment. In this respect, practices such as recycling materials, proper disposal of waste products, reducing consumption rates by adopting resource saving interventions, are the fundamentals of the idea of sustainable development. Companies are tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that they are operating and engaging in activities that uphold the concept of sustainable development. Companies that promote the idea of sustainable development have a comparative advantage over others. Europack is one of the companies that have identified the significance of promoting sustainability. The company has formulated various sustainable developments for managing its waste products. The paper reviews the case of Europack with the intention of proposing effective strategies for fostering sustainability in the company. The paper initiates by providing a background of the company including its services and model of business. Furthermore, the report explores Europack’s effort of promoting sustainability in its activities and the challenges that hinders its endeavor. This is with the intention of establishing effective solutions to these challenges. Lastly, the paper provides a detailed discussion of the effective solutions to Europack’s problems to foster sustainability in the company’s activities. The report identifies that simple practices such as proper disposal of waste materials and housing are vital in enhancing sustainability in the company. The report will be beneficial in empowering Europack realize its sustainable development goals. Furthermore, other global companies can utilize this report as a strategic piece for enhancing sustainable development interventions.
Introduction
Sustainable Development is the use of resources used in the human’s daily life during production, transportation, and personal use without harming the environmental surroundings. Moreover, it refers to the use of scarce resources wisely while being efficient to produce the maximum output using minimal resources while not compromising the next generation’s resources. Sustainable Development can be achieved economically, environmentally, and socially to help minimize waste and cost. Society somewhat tends to pressure individuals and companies to follow certain regulations and procedures to maintain a clean and better life quality.
Background of the Company
Europack is an Italian packaging company that assembles metal products has sustainable development goals that it is implementing to help dispose and eliminate exhaust, waste gasses, and chemical fumes. Europack practices social, economical and social sustainable development that is implemented by the department of Health and Environment in the company. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment in Egypt inspects and strictly enforces the implementation of such regulations and certain procedures to protect the environment.
Euroquarzo was established in 1982 that manufactures emulsions and wide a range of textured paints for exterior and interior decorations. After four years of experience, Wafik decided to expand his investment and build Europack in 1995. Europack was established under a license from several European firms. The Factory plant is built in 10th of Ramadan and it 7000 square meters and consists of three main product lines.
Europack’s products and environment’s concerns
Europack produces excessive amounts of oil, garbage, tin and chemical waste wastes that is extracted from the machinery, assembly line productions, and transportation vehicles. Europack Environment management hands of the waste to MotahedalelMasabek to dispose of the wastes in a proper sterilized, and secure methods to the environmental surroundings and humans so it would not produce harmful fumes later on in the near future to the citizens in the area. The government enforces companies nationwide that produce such hazardous waste must have a contract with such agencies, in 6th of October the organization responsible of such waste is MotahedalelMaasabek. MotahedalelMasabek is a governmental organization that takes hazardous waste from companies in Egypt and disposes of it in an environmentally friendly way.
Europack’s Working Environment and Its Effort towards Sustainable Development
Managing metallic waste products in the company
Europack purchased a machine that would destroy excess tin products that are used to manufacture their final product before handing it over to the specialized firms that are responsible of recycling tin products. That specific machine was purchased due to the fraudulent actions taken by previous firms that would buy the recyclable material from Europack and sell it to other distributers for a higher price. These distributers would reuse and sell Europack’s tin material with the same design and quality as if it is their own. Therefore, Europack bought that machine to demolish the tin so their trademark, designs and quality would be protected. The recycling firms would recycle the tin material, and mainly it is located in Mokattam in the Zabaleen area that is where most of Egypt’s recycling takes place.
The Problem of Ventilation
Ventilation is much needed in a tin company due to the fumes that are released during the production of tin, and during printing the designs on the tin plates. Such fumes are harmful, may create lung, nostril infections, and might damage brain cells if exposed to excessive amounts of harmful chemical compositions. Thus, Europack’s Environment manager has initiated to create more window opening to increase the flow of oxygen and installed air filters. Every six months Europack is required to hire a group of scientists from the ministry of Environment to measure the noise, visual, and air pollution. Calculating the harmful emission from that is released during production from machine exhausts helps inform those in charge to buy new machinery that is more efficient and less harmful to the workers and that helps minimize the CO2 emissions.
Since the Egyptian and Libyan revolution, the economy has been deteriorating affecting Europack’s market, taking a toll on its profits. In result to the current economy, Europack has decided they must cut costs as much as possible. At first they started with cutting electricity cost by trying to minimize office hours and shut off all the lights as soon as the employees leave and turn off machinery and equipment that is not being used utilize excessive electricity and energy.
The Concerns of Loud Noises and High Temperature
Tin Can machines produce very loud noises during production that are harmful for workers in the plant. Workers are obligated to wear earplugs during production at all times to prevent or decrease the risk of deafness. Noise preventers are installed in between the walls of the plant to help prevent the loud noise from disturbing the employees working in other sectors in factory. Furthermore, the government sends a health inspector to measure the noise dB to see if it is within the normal range and not putting anyone at risk.
The machine temperature often increases rapidly due to the excessive usage; therefore, the workers decrease the machine’s working hours. By decreasing the machine’s working hours the company is saving electricity and reducing down labor hours therefore saving cost. Europack has registered the number of workers, machinery and type of equipment and inventories that are located in the plant in the government’s civil registry.
Violation of Safety Standards in the Company
Europack received a fine notice two weeks ago informing them that they are violating environmental regulation such as poor ventilations; batteries too close the oven that might cause a fire because batteries are flammable, placing chemical waste and oil barrels in the plant creating harmful risks to the workers and the machinery surrounding it. Another safety violation that the workers are not wearing their safety uniform and equipment during production thus put their limbs and health at risk.
Managerial and Financial Factors in the Company
Europack has two teams in its organization, a development team and a Lean Manufacturing team made up of members managers in their field. The Development team productivity is to assure that all the machinery is maintained properly. Managers must be up to the date to get the latest machinery that produces the best quality in order to stay ahead of their competitors and produce a better quality. The development team also inspects and tries to double production during a recession. The challenges they face are solving technical difficulties such as when a machine breaks down during operations and they must meet the order deadline. Therefore, the development team must figure out whether to fix the machine or start a new production line on another machine. In addition, they must allocate costs to buy new production machines for backup. The development team and the lean manufacturing team both use the fish bone method to lay out all their problems and their goals and try to compute solutions. The Lean manufacturing team’s most important mission is to improve the company’s efficiency. The managers are currently working on ways to utilize the plants maximum capacity, when bringing in new equipment and machinery and still making space for the old machines. There has been a suggestion to expand the factory and buy more land in order to be able to fit all the machines, trucks, tin order and other equipment in one plant. The challenge the lean manufacturing face is decreasing material costs while the inflation is increasing and the value of the Egyptian pound is decreasing. While the recession is continuing and the Egyptian market is weak the Lean manufacturing team is have difficulties increasing their productivity. Europack is now working with another Italian company, which has encouraged the workers to start being environmentally friendly and decreasing their waste as much as possible and disposing, it in a non-harmful way as possible.
Europack has a weak sustainable development program; it only applies and implements the minimal regulations and procedures that the government enforces the company to follow. However ever since the recession cutting cost is a very important factor that must be taken into consideration, therefore being economically, socially and environmentally friendly must be reevaluated. For example, transportation costs have taken a big toll on the company with the rise of gasoline costs and natural gas shortage nationwide. In order to deal with such a problem the company should try to fit more tin cans in a car so less cars are used during transportation, and that the shipment to be sent at once not on several visits. Another factor is to buy trucks that have a lower horsepower so it would consume less gas.
Addressing Air Pollution Challenges at Europack
Wearing appropriate attires that could protect the inhalation of poisonous gas will also be an essential mechanism of protecting aspiratory health challenges among the company’s employees. By focusing on the role of the company in environmental conservation, the company needs to introduce a system that will monitor the discharge of pollutants to the environment. The Europack Company will use the introduced systems in informing members of the public on the significant of environmental conservation. To reduce the amount of Sulphur Dioxide in the environment, the company needs to introduce a system that will reduce the level of poisonous gas emitted to the environment. Although they are costly, equipments for capturing the emission of Sulphur dioxide into the environment will be an essential initiative in improving the company working condition. The Europack Company should also introduce monitoring device to measure the amount of sulphur dioxide released to the air from the company.
The development of renewable and clean energy plant will also be incredibly essential in facilitating the company’s development and sustainability (Morgenstern et al. 231). Despite reducing the amount of wastages from the company, the introduction of clean and renewable energy plant will help in the reduction of energy cost. Biogas energy has so far served as one of the most reliable and effective energy sources in contemporary industries and companies. Therefore, the introduction of renewable clean energy will not only be beneficial to the company productivity but will also be useful to community member for household purposes (Morgenstern et al. 230). The Europack Company can also introduce economic incentive in solving environmental degradation challenge. The company can reduce the utilization of non-renewable energy by substituting it with renewable energy. The introduction of cleaner burning fuels will not only reduce the amount of gaseous exchange emitted into the environment but will also reduce the cost incurred on energy.
Technology that will treat wastewater and air waste will significantly help in protection of environmental degradation. Treated air will also be recycled thus reducing the company’s operation cost. Technology to improve environmental monitoring system in the company will play a very recommendable role in reducing the level of air pollution from the company (Socolow 37). In addressing air pollution challenges in Europack Company, the company should also understand and utilize the international policies set aside to reduce environmental challenges in the world’s industries. Essentially, international policies emphasize on the importance of adoption of modern technology in reducing air pollutions.
Conclusion
Europack has attempted to promote sustainability development in its activities; however, further interventions are essential in ensuring that the company is not engaging activities that have detrimental consequence to the society and the environment. Initially, ventilation should be enhanced by applying either solar and wind turbines, passive, soffit and gable roof vents to help better air in the work area so the workers breath cleaner air for a healthier lifestyle. Healthy workers will work faster and more efficient, helping increase production in a fewer period. Oil and chemical leakage is also an issue that Europack has not tackled yet, which could cause health risks, and disrupt production if any incident were to happen. The worker place barrels filled with oil and chemical waste near the machinery that could easily start a fire. The procedures that should be taken to prevent oil and chemical leaks is to keep these barrels away from the workers and machinery with labels on them in a safe stored area where they are not susceptible to fire or harm anyone. In addition, these containers should be sealed properly and a supervisor should always inspect these containers daily. Moreover, when dumping these waste or handing them over the waste firms, the workers transferring and handling the waste should be cautious about spills and wear protective clothing to protect them from any harmful chemicals or radiation. If a leak occurs supervisors should have the equipment ready to stop the leak and clean it up immediately and secure the leakage point or put it in another container if the leak cannot be maintained. Oil spillages occurring on course of production procedures should be cleaned up immediately. Using energy conserving machines and recycling materials is also essential in saving resources.
Works Cited
Morgenstern, Richard D, Piya Apagunawardana, Robert Anderson, Ruth Greenspan Bell, Alan Krupnick, Jeremy Shreilfels, Cao Dong, Wang Jinan, Wang Jitian, and Steiner Larsen. Emission trading to improve air quality in an industrial city in the People’s Republic of China. Washington DC: Resources for the Future Discussion (2004) Paper 04-16.
Socolow, Robert. Good enough tools for global warming policy making,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 363, (2007), 1-38
Tietenberg, Tom. Environmental Economics and Policy. New York, NY: Pearson Addison Wesley. 2007. Print
