Materials Management: Sustainability Principles
Sustainable materials management requires active (re-)examination of routine purchasing, use and disposal decisions. A sustainable materials management program accounts not only for costs of procurement, but includes all costs associated with operations and maintenance, reuse and recycling, and disposal as well.
A sustainable materials management program starts with four simple questions:
- What is in it? - Components
- Where is it coming from? - Source
- How much of it is there? - Usage level
- Where is it going when we are done using it? - Disposal methods
Establish Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policies
Purchasing decisions should seek the following outcomes:
- Energy & water efficiency
- Recycled content
- Reduced toxicity and health risks
- Resource conservation, and waste prevention
- Strengthen emerging and established certified green manufacturers and vendors
Implement Effective Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Programs
Preventive maintenance, normal repairs, and parts replacement should be done to preserve capital assets so that they provide acceptable service and achieve their full life expectancy.
Seventy Percent or More Landfill Diversion Rate
Initiatives and programs like Extended Producer Responsibility and Integrated Waste Management are the most effective steps to achieving a diversion goal.
Institute Full-Cost and Life-Cycle Accounting Practices
The calculation of material costs must include both short-term and long-term costs including: acquisition, extended warranties, operation, supplies, maintenance, disposal costs, environmental costs, and expected lifetime compared to other alternatives.
The collection, reprocessing, marketing, and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from the solid waste stream.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
