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In view of the influence of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices on firm competitiveness, particularly among manufacturing firms, we examined a model linking green production, green purchasing, investment recovery and firm competitiveness. This paper contributes to the emerging body of literature on green supply chains and firm competitiveness in developing countries by examining our research model in the context of Malaysia. Specifically, using a sample of 144 Malaysian manufacturing companies, we propose and find support for the notion that there is a relationship between green supply chain practices and firm competitiveness. Analysis using the partial least squares package reveals that both green production and green purchasing have a direct effect on firm competitiveness. However, investment recovery has no relationship with firm competitiveness. A discussion and suggestions for future research are included.

The chapter presents the results of the research related to the applicability of software technologies for simulation in green production and logistics. Green requirements for these technologies are defined. In the first phase, simulation techniques like spreadsheets, programming languages, programming libraries, specialist simulation software and agent technologies are evaluated and compared. In the second phase, five specialist simulation packages were chosen and evaluated in detail. From this list, one package was selected with built-in “green” functions. Finally, an example of using the selected software package to investigate carbon dioxide emissions in factory which produce bottled milk and cheese was described.

The aim of this work is to analyze the development of Green Economy in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Sustainability and efficiency are seen as springs of development to be pushed overall in a period of global economic crisis. Starting from the distinction of Green Production and Green Products, the authors have investigated the evolution of the sector in the last years, in particular analyzing the number of enterprises and products with environmental certifications and their economic performance. A special focus have been made regarding the production of Renewable Energy Sources and the EU objectives. Furthermore it has been explored the Agri-food sector, underlining its relationship with the environment and the threats given by Climate Change, and on the other side the opportunities linked to agro-energies and organic productions. The authors have made some on field interviews to operators and firms of different sector in order to better understand their perspective regarding Green Economy markets. Additionally to underline some strategic guidelines to be followed by governments to better implement structural changes to raise efficiency and to further green the economical production.

SammanfattningProdukter produceras idag i stor utsträckning för att tillfredsställa konsumenters behov varpåmiljöbelastningen eskalerar i takt med efterfrågan och produktionen som sker därefter. Lösningenpå problemet kan sammanfattas i ekodesign där miljöoptimering av produktutvecklingen skerutifrån ett helhetsperspektiv; råvaruutvinning, produktion, användning, återvinning, slutligtomhändertagande samt transporter.Teknik-konsultföretaget ÅF uppmärksammade detta problem hos svenska producenter ochstartade 2008 en intern sektion, EcoDesign center, som erbjöd sina kunder ekodesignrelateradetjänster. Utmaningarna och problemen hos kunderna har med tiden förändrats och för att centretska kunna erbjuda sina kunder relevanta tjänster, undersöks i detta arbete svenska producentersrelation till ekodesign idag.Syftet med arbetet har varit att kartlägga producenternas problem och utmaningar inommiljöanpassad produktutveckling och samtidigt utvärdera ÅF EcoDesign centers förutsättningaratt tillgodose sina kunder. Att utifrån denna kunskap komma med förbättringsförslag ochrekommendationer på hur centrets ekodesigntjänster kan optimeras har varit målet med arbetet.Resultatet visar att ekodesignarbetet inte är tillräckligt utbrett vilket främst beror på bristfälligefterfrågan av ekodesignade produkter. Kundefterfrågan är direkt kopplat till ekonomiskaincitament, företag drivs i vinstsyfte och utan en efterfrågan kommer ekodesignarbete inteimplementeras. Producenterna har inte insett eller förstått den ekonomiska potentialen medmiljöeffektiv produktutveckling och tror det är dyrt och tidsödande. En orsak till detta kan varabristen på enkla ekodesignverktyg, då de flesta existerande verktyg kräver experter.Kunskapsbristen är ett faktum, vilket producenterna själva ser som ett av de största hindren förimplementering av ekodesign i produktutvecklingsprocessen.ÅF:s EcoDesign center bör satsa på en inledande ekodesigntjänst som kartlägger vad för typ avekodesigntjänst deras kunder behöver hjälp med. Denna tjänst ska fungera som en inkörsport tillövriga ekodesignområden som EcoDesign center rekommenderas att satsa på i framtiden; PRS(Product Regulatory Support), strategi, eco screening, utbildning, tjänstedesign ochmarknadsföring. Products are currently produced to satisfy customer needs to a large extent whereupon theenvironmental impact escalates due to the demand and production. A solution to the problemcan be summarized in the term eco design where the environmental optimization of a producthas a holistic perspective, including everything from raw material extraction, production, uses,recycling, disposal and transport.ÅF, a technology consulting firm, drew attention to this problem and started EcoDesign centerin 2008, an in-house section where they offered their customers eco design related services. Thechallenges and problems in their customers needs have changed over time and understandinghow the center should provide their customers with relevant service is investigated in this thesis.The aim of the thesis has been to identify producers’ problems and challenges with greenproduction and at the same time evaluate EcoDesign center's prerequisites to satisfy theircustomers’ needs. Based on this knowledge, the aim has been to come up with suggestions andrecommendations on how the center can optimize their eco design related services.The result shows that the eco design work is not sufficiently widespread, mainly due to a poordemand for eco designed products. Customer demand is directly linked to economic incentives,companies run for profit and without a demand an eco design work will not be implemented.Producers have not realized the economic potential of eco effective products and think it isexpensive and time consuming. One reason can be the lack of simple eco design tools, sinceexisting tools require expertise. The lack of knowledge is a fact, which the producers consider tobe one of the biggest obstacles to implement eco design in the product developing process.EcoDesign center should invest in an initial eco design service that identifies in which types ofeco design areas their customer needs help. This service will act as a gateway to other eco designservices offered at the center. In the future, EcoDesign center is recommended to focus on thefollowing, eco design related work; PRS (Product Regulatory Support), strategy, eco screening,education, service design and marketing.

This chapter describes the state of technological development in the production processes of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the pharmaceutical industry in Bogota, Colombia. The evaluation focuses on the use of indicators like the relationships between producer companies and their suppliers, the incorporation of each into the operations chain, the management of quality systems and the implementation of green production principles. It deals with strategies that enabled the proposal of some useful indicators in the evaluation of technological development in the field, justifying the indicators’ selection and the criteria used to obtain surveys for each defined indicator. When these indicators were applied to in cosmetics, phytotherapeutics, medicines and cleaning good producers, companies’ positive results were given. Finally, the level of technological development in the pharmaceutical sector is evaluated on the basis of the indicators proposed using as a tool a survey designed to assess and study the material transformation processes in each of the industry’s subsectors.

This paper describes a proposal of a concept and a construction method for the digital eco-factory to support and promote implementation of green production. The proposed digital eco-factory is a virtual factory and IT platform for sustainable production planning. The digital eco-factory is constructed on the digital factory which is constructed by applying multi agent system technology. In the digital factory, all factory elements including produced products are configured as software agents. In the digital eco-factory the production scenario is examined both from manufacturing efficiency and an environmental view.

Based on the green production and enterprise performance evaluation theory. The indicator system of performance evaluation of green production are put forward in accordance with the characteristics of green production. On the basis of the content above, the paper completes a model which evaluates the performance of enterprise by the connection of grey relational and neural network analysis. The effectiveness and correction of the model are tested by a case.

Long process times, high energy consumption, low automation level and high costs for textiles, resin and production tools are the main reasons for the low acceptance of fiber-reinforced plastics (frp) in high-volume production, especially in automotive applications. This paper presents the potential of the application of inductive heating techniques for the reduction of process time and energy consumption in different CFRP manufacturing processes based on different studies that have been performed at the institute of joining and welding. The described processes are the preforming and curing steps in the RTM process and the tape warming in the ATL process for thermoplastic composites.

In the analyzing view of enterprise value net, this paper explains the resources of economic performance of enterprises implementing green production taking green income and green cost structure from the enterprises implementing the production operations. This article also measures and quantifies the resources to clarify the strategic thinking misunderstanding well and explicit the green cost and green income structure of enterprises implementing green production, which may provide the theoretical support and method for enterprises implementing green production.

Designed nanoporous solids are highly effective in facilitating shape-selective and regiospecific catalytic conversions in the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates as well as in sustainable manufacture of e-caprolactam and in the production of adipic acid from renewable resources. When judiciously engineered single-sites are accommodated within a well-defined nanospace, catalytically active species are generated, which in turn facilitate the determination of the kinetics and mechanism of catalytic turnover and render accessible the energetics of various intermediates. The approach that we have evolved adopts the principles and practices of solid-state chemistry, augmented by lessons derived from enzymology, as well as computational chemistry. In particular, large fractions of these catalysts are ideally suited for the era of green chemistry and clean technology in which single-step and/or solvent-free processes abound, and in which benign oxidants such as air or oxygen and inexpensive nanoporous materials are employed.

The operation of gold mine enterprise is a complex systems engineering, the production flows, this article will applies the recycling economy theory in the production of gold mineral, seeks to fundamentally prevent and efforts to reduce or lower the influence of the production process of gold mineral improves the quality of the environment, solves environmental problems of china's gold mine, achieves the sustainable development of gold mining. To achieve the objectives of benefiting the nation and the people and bringing benefit to future generations, thus has realized the unification between economic benefits, social benefits and environmental benefits of enterprises.

Traditional manufacturing industries develop the contradiction between human beings and the environment is becoming more and more serious. In order to solve this problem, the establishment of green supply chain management can to be a way, to introduce the idea of sustainable development in practice. The pollution from the car industry is a problem today, so developing green supply chain management is important. The purpose of this thesis is to establish green supply chain management supplier evaluation index system by taking BYD as an example. In this thesis, we study the problem by using primary and secondary data, by combining the reality with the theories. First, we introduce the principle and basic situation of green supply chain management in China now, then we analyze the aspects that green supply chain management should include in BYD. We propose a plan for the improvement of green supply chain management in BYD and construct the GSCM performance index system. Eventually we proformce a plan for the establishment of green supply chain management in BYD.

Much has been published about the positive aspects of recycling. The use of reclaimed materials as input to manufacturing, however, could generate as much environmentally damaging effects than it brings. This paper argues that recycling and material reuse, as part of the green production process, need to be appropriately examined in terms of their benefits and issues. Drawing from extant literature on issues of recycling, we show that the current state of practice in recycling could not be considered as truly contributing to a green production process. Much remains to be done. Among them, issues to be addressed include technologies for recycling, life-cycle energy consumption of products manufactured from recycled wastes, "optimal" quota for different types of recyclables, legislations to regulate recycling practices world-wide, and consumer education about the benefits of products made from recycled wastes. We stress that enthusiasm to promote use of recyclables or reclaimed wastes to green production should not sown further seeds to creating more environmental problems for tomorrow.

With the development of industrialization, the environmental issues become main problems for influencing sustainable development of human beings. Therefore, more and more companies began to take “ green” into account in the process of production. The advocated Green Production Mode can make less pollution than general productions in the whole process of production. For identifying the greenness of productions, a synthetic evaluation method for ranking green productions was proposed in this paper, which based on TOPSIS algorithm. The comprehensive evaluation method also used into three different power plants in US. By using this method, the power plants can be totally ranked by their green traits.

Denna rapport är resultatet av ett examensarbete utfört vid Institutionen för industriell och ekonomisk utveckling vid Linköpings universitet på uppdrag av konsultbolaget Sustainia AB. Lean produktion, ofta benämnt Lean, har det senaste decenniet blivit en allt mer attraktiv produktionsfilosofi för att minska kostnader och öka kundnöjdhet genom förbättrad leveransservice och effektivare flöde. Ett flertal författare har påpekat att införandet av Lean direkt kan förbättra ett företags miljöprestanda, främst till följd av det minskade slöseri som Lean avser ge upphov till. Vidare finns studier som visar att vissa möjligheter till förbättringar och kostnadsbesparingar riskerar att gå oupptäckta om verksamheten ses ur ett strikt Lean-perspektiv. Med ett miljösynsätt finns dock chans att dessa blir upptäckta. Detta indikerar att såväl kostnads- som miljömässiga fördelar kan nås genom en integration av arbetet med Lean och miljöaspekter. Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att undersöka hur ett företags arbete med Lean respektive miljöaspekter påverkar varandra för att ta reda på om och hur väl de båda arbetssätten skulle kunna fungera tillsammans. Om det visade sig att en integration av Lean och miljö vore möjlig och fördelaktig ur affärsmässig synvinkel skulle sedermera ett förslag tas fram på hur en sådan modell skulle kunna se ut. Arbetets syfte har uppfyllts genom en kombination av litteraturstudier och intervjuer. Fyra svenska företag som arbetar enligt Lean och även har ett uttalat aktivt miljöarbete intervjuades gällande sitt sätt att arbeta med Lean och miljöfrågor samt hur de såg på en eventuell integration av de två arbetssätten. Utifrån resultaten från litteratur- och intervjustudien kan konstateras att flera av grundtankarna inom såväl Lean som miljöarbete stöder varandra. Inom båda arbetssätten ses kontinuerliga förbättringar och eliminering av slöseri som viktiga inslag, och båda främjar en organisationskultur där personalen uppmuntras att lösa problem och förbättra företagets prestation. Vissa enskilda verktyg inom Lean riskerar emellertid att ha en negativ inverkan på företagets miljöprestanda, något som i många fall dock kan avhjälpas genom god planering. Till ett företags miljöarbete kan Lean bidra med ett proaktivt förhållningssätt och strukturerat arbetssätt och därmed få organisationen att arbeta mer förebyggande och långsiktigt med miljöfrågor. De intervjuade företagen ansåg att Lean generellt hade en positiv inverkan på deras miljöarbete, även om de inte hade gjort någon utvärdering av hur arbetet med Lean påverkat deras miljönyckeltal. De kvantitativa data som erhölls från litteraturstudien pekade på att arbete med Lean kan leda till en direkt minskning av företagets miljöpåverkan inom flera områden. Med utgångspunkt i dessa kvantitativa och kvalitativa data anser författarna således att det finns starka och tydliga tecken som visar på att Lean kan ha en positiv inverkan på miljörelaterade nyckeltal. Ett aktivt miljöarbete kan å sin sida bidra till arbetet med Lean genom att besparingsmöjligheter, som annars skulle riskerat att förbli oupptäckta, uppdagas. Studien visade vidare att det inte bara är möjligt att integrera arbete med Lean och miljö, utan att en sådan integration dessutom har potential att vara fördelaktigt ur såväl ett ekonomiskt som ett miljömässigt perspektiv. En integrering kan minska risken för suboptimeringar, och synergieffekter kan erhållas som innebär att större framgångar kan uppnås än vad som skulle ha varit möjligt om arbetet med Lean och miljö hade bedrivits isolerat. Med vetskapen om att en integration är möjlig och har potential att vara fördelaktig ur företagsekonomisk och miljömässig synvinkel utarbetade författarna en modell för hur Lean och miljöarbete kan bedrivas integrerat. I samråd med Sustainia AB bestämdes att denna modell skulle kallas Green Lean, vilket således åsyftar en miljöanpassad, ”grön” form av Lean. This report is the result of a master thesis written at the Department of Management and Engineering at Linköping University commissioned by the consultancy firm Sustainia AB. Lean production, also known as Lean, has during the last decade increasingly become a more attractive production philosophy for decreasing costs and increasing customer satisfaction by improving customer service and obtaining more efficient production flows. Several authors have pointed out that Lean has the potential to directly improve the environmental performance of a company, mostly by decreasing waste generation. Further, there are studies showing that some possibilities for improvement and cost savings risk not being discovered if the operations are seen strictly from a Lean perspective. When an environmental perspective is included there is a chance that these improvements and cost savings are discovered. This indicates that both environmental and cost related advantages might be achieved by integrating the Lean approach with that of the environment. The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate how the work with Lean and environmental aspects affect one another. If applying the two principles together was shown to be both possible and beneficial from a business point of view, the authors would propose how these two concepts could be integrated into a single model. A combination of literature studies and interviews were used to fulfill the purpose. Four Swedish enterprises, which work according to the Lean principles and also have an active environmental profile, were interviewed about their way of working with the two approaches, as well their views on an integration of these. From the findings in this study the authors concluded that several of the fundamental concepts concerning Lean and environmental aspects support each other. Within both, continuous improvements and waste elimination are seen as important components, and they both support an organisational culture where the personnel are encouraged to solve problems and improve the performance of the company. Conversely the authors found that there is a risk that certain of the Lean tools risk having a negative influence on the company’s environmental performance. However, in many cases this can be avoided by proactive planning. Lean can contribute to a company’s environmental work by its proactive approach, structured way of operating and long-term way of thinking. In general the interviewed companies regarded Lean as having a positive influence on their environmental work, even though none of them had carried out an evaluation on how their work with Lean affected their environmental key performance indicators. The quantitative data obtained from the literature study indicates that Lean can lead to a direct decrease of a company’s environmental impact within several areas. As a result of these qualitative and quantitative data the authors of this thesis have found clear indications showing that Lean might have a positive impact on environmental key performance indicators. An active environmental work can also contribute to the work with Lean. Potential cost saving, which might not have been discovered with the Lean perspective, can be revealed when the organisation is studied from an environmental point of view. The study further showed that it not only is possible to integrate Lean and environmental work, but that it also has potential to be beneficial from both a business and an environmental standpoint. An integration of Lean and environmental issues can reduce the risk of sub optimisations, and synergies can be achieved, meaning that the two systems can accomplish more together than they would in isolation. With this knowledge, the authors composed a model for how Lean and environmental work can be practised and integrated. In consultation with Sustainia AB it was decided that this model should be called Green Lean, which hence refers to an environmentally favourable, “green”, version of Lean.

Denna rapport är resultatet av ett examensarbete utfört vid Institutionen för industriell och ekonomisk utveckling vid Linköpings universitet på uppdrag av konsultbolaget Sustainia AB. Lean produktion, ofta benämnt Lean, har det senaste decenniet blivit en allt mer attraktiv produktionsfilosofi för att minska kostnader och öka kundnöjdhet genom förbättrad leveransservice och effektivare flöde. Ett flertal författare har påpekat att införandet av Lean direkt kan förbättra ett företags miljöprestanda, främst till följd av det minskade slöseri som Lean avser ge upphov till. Vidare finns studier som visar att vissa möjligheter till förbättringar och kostnadsbesparingar riskerar att gå oupptäckta om verksamheten ses ur ett strikt Lean-perspektiv. Med ett miljösynsätt finns dock chans att dessa blir upptäckta. Detta indikerar att såväl kostnads- som miljömässiga fördelar kan nås genom en integration av arbetet med Lean och miljöaspekter. Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att undersöka hur ett företags arbete med Lean respektive miljöaspekter påverkar varandra för att ta reda på om och hur väl de båda arbetssätten skulle kunna fungera tillsammans. Om det visade sig att en integration av Lean och miljö vore möjlig och fördelaktig ur affärsmässig synvinkel skulle sedermera ett förslag tas fram på hur en sådan modell skulle kunna se ut. Arbetets syfte har uppfyllts genom en kombination av litteraturstudier och intervjuer. Fyra svenska företag som arbetar enligt Lean och även har ett uttalat aktivt miljöarbete intervjuades gällande sitt sätt att arbeta med Lean och miljöfrågor samt hur de såg på en eventuell integration av de två arbetssätten. Utifrån resultaten från litteratur- och intervjustudien kan konstateras att flera av grundtankarna inom såväl Lean som miljöarbete stöder varandra. Inom båda arbetssätten ses kontinuerliga förbättringar och eliminering av slöseri som viktiga inslag, och båda främjar en organisationskultur där personalen uppmuntras att lösa problem och förbättra företagets prestation. Vissa enskilda verktyg inom Lean riskerar emellertid att ha en negativ inverkan på företagets miljöprestanda, något som i många fall dock kan avhjälpas genom god planering. Till ett företags miljöarbete kan Lean bidra med ett proaktivt förhållningssätt och strukturerat arbetssätt och därmed få organisationen att arbeta mer förebyggande och långsiktigt med miljöfrågor. De intervjuade företagen ansåg att Lean generellt hade en positiv inverkan på deras miljöarbete, även om de inte hade gjort någon utvärdering av hur arbetet med Lean påverkat deras miljönyckeltal. De kvantitativa data som erhölls från litteraturstudien pekade på att arbete med Lean kan leda till en direkt minskning av företagets miljöpåverkan inom flera områden. Med utgångspunkt i dessa kvantitativa och kvalitativa data anser författarna således att det finns starka och tydliga tecken som visar på att Lean kan ha en positiv inverkan på miljörelaterade nyckeltal. Ett aktivt miljöarbete kan å sin sida bidra till arbetet med Lean genom att besparingsmöjligheter, som annars skulle riskerat att förbli oupptäckta, uppdagas. Studien visade vidare att det inte bara är möjligt att integrera arbete med Lean och miljö, utan att en sådan integration dessutom har potential att vara fördelaktigt ur såväl ett ekonomiskt som ett miljömässigt perspektiv. En integrering kan minska risken för suboptimeringar, och synergieffekter kan erhållas som innebär att större framgångar kan uppnås än vad som skulle ha varit möjligt om arbetet med Lean och miljö hade bedrivits isolerat. Med vetskapen om att en integration är möjlig och har potential att vara fördelaktig ur företagsekonomisk och miljömässig synvinkel utarbetade författarna en modell för hur Lean och miljöarbete kan bedrivas integrerat. I samråd med Sustainia AB bestämdes att denna modell skulle kallas Green Lean, vilket således åsyftar en miljöanpassad, ”grön” form av Lean. This report is the result of a master thesis written at the Department of Management and Engineering at Linköping University commissioned by the consultancy firm Sustainia AB. Lean production, also known as Lean, has during the last decade increasingly become a more attractive production philosophy for decreasing costs and increasing customer satisfaction by improving customer service and obtaining more efficient production flows. Several authors have pointed out that Lean has the potential to directly improve the environmental performance of a company, mostly by decreasing waste generation. Further, there are studies showing that some possibilities for improvement and cost savings risk not being discovered if the operations are seen strictly from a Lean perspective. When an environmental perspective is included there is a chance that these improvements and cost savings are discovered. This indicates that both environmental and cost related advantages might be achieved by integrating the Lean approach with that of the environment. The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate how the work with Lean and environmental aspects affect one another. If applying the two principles together was shown to be both possible and beneficial from a business point of view, the authors would propose how these two concepts could be integrated into a single model. A combination of literature studies and interviews were used to fulfill the purpose. Four Swedish enterprises, which work according to the Lean principles and also have an active environmental profile, were interviewed about their way of working with the two approaches, as well their views on an integration of these. From the findings in this study the authors concluded that several of the fundamental concepts concerning Lean and environmental aspects support each other. Within both, continuous improvements and waste elimination are seen as important components, and they both support an organisational culture where the personnel are encouraged to solve problems and improve the performance of the company. Conversely the authors found that there is a risk that certain of the Lean tools risk having a negative influence on the company’s environmental performance. However, in many cases this can be avoided by proactive planning. Lean can contribute to a company’s environmental work by its proactive approach, structured way of operating and long-term way of thinking. In general the interviewed companies regarded Lean as having a positive influence on their environmental work, even though none of them had carried out an evaluation on how their work with Lean affected their environmental key performance indicators. The quantitative data obtained from the literature study indicates that Lean can lead to a direct decrease of a company’s environmental impact within several areas. As a result of these qualitative and quantitative data the authors of this thesis have found clear indications showing that Lean might have a positive impact on environmental key performance indicators. An active environmental work can also contribute to the work with Lean. Potential cost saving, which might not have been discovered with the Lean perspective, can be revealed when the organisation is studied from an environmental point of view. The study further showed that it not only is possible to integrate Lean and environmental work, but that it also has potential to be beneficial from both a business and an environmental standpoint. An integration of Lean and environmental issues can reduce the risk of sub optimisations, and synergies can be achieved, meaning that the two systems can accomplish more together than they would in isolation. With this knowledge, the authors composed a model for how Lean and environmental work can be practised and integrated. In consultation with Sustainia AB it was decided that this model should be called Green Lean, which hence refers to an environmentally favourable, “green”, version of Lean.

The paper presents the application of constraint directed search to production scheduling at Uganda Clays Limited, to increase productivity and timely order delivery. An experienced human has in the past performed the scheduling task for the 69 clay products made on the same facility. This has been a serious challenge. The production process consists of five major sections i.e. the Silo, Green production section, dryers, kilns, and the stockyard. A scheduling system based on the Multiple Perspective Scheduling technique has been developed for the Green production section. The system uses products and resources data and provides for selection of scheduling policies. The schedules developed are similar to those of an experienced human. Therefore, the developed system would go a long way in addressing the need for an automated Production Scheduling Decision Support System at Uganda Clays. It can also be adapted to similar production environments.

A well-attended seminar, themed on green production in surface finishing was held at the Hong Kong Productivity Council exhibition hall on 4 May 2007. This was a joint event held by the Hong Kong Metal Finishing Society and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.

Green Production Human Resource Management (GPHRM) is the concept and application of green technologies, so that the recruitment, replacement, upgrade, performance evaluation and development of manpower in production planning can be achieved in a more efficient or effective way, which is a novel concept. In this study, several issues on GPHRM are explored. An example in the electro-acoustic industry is used to illustrate the proposed methodology. Obviously, GPHRM can reduce personnel transportation and communication costs, and solve family separation issues and the problems of managing people from different cultural backgrounds.

A composting facility in New Milford, Conn. (NMF), utilizes food-processing residuals, including spent tea leaves, coffee grounds, cocoa shell and cleanings, wastewater treatment sludge from a food ingredients manufacturing plant, and past-expiration processed vegetable products. Materials are composted in aerated, frequently turned windrows under cover. The range of inputs, combined with time constraints on the composting process, has resulted in a variable, immature compost product with a high rate of microbial activity. Users have expressed concern about potential phytotoxicity or nutrient immobilization from using NMF compost. Therefore, research was conducted to determine the influence of cured and uncured NMF compost amendments on potentially sensitive crops with high nutrient requirements. Arugula (Eruca vesicaria) and green bibb lettuce (Lactuca sativa) were grown on two Connecticut organic farm research sites in 1998 and 1999. Both sites have soils classified as coarse loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic, typic, Dystraudepts. Farms differed in the length of time under organic farm management. One farm has been an organic farm since 1988 and consequently has high soil fertility, while the other was a first-year organic farm in 1998, and had relatively low soil fertility. Three amendment types were applied: cured compost, uncured compost, and organic fertilizer (5N-3P2O5-4K2O). Amendment application rates were estimated to provide a comparable range of plant-available nutrients for the amendments and a control without fertilizer. Compost application rates were 3.4, 6.8, 20.2, 35.8, and 71.7 Mg·ha-1 (dry-weight basis) in 1998 and 11.2, 22.4, 44.8, and 89.6 Mg·ha-1 (dry-weight basis) in 1999. Organic fertilizer application rates were 1.34, 2.68, 5.36, 10.72, and 21.44 Mg·ha-1 in 1998 and 1.34, 2.68, 5.38, and 10.72 Mg·ha-1 in 1999. Soil organic matter and nutrients increased with amendment application rate at both locations. Crop yields increased with amendment rate at the new, lower-fertility farm, but yields did not respond to amendments at the older, higher-fertility farm. Yield differences were minor between the uncured and cured compost treatments at both locations. This indicates that either cured or uncured NMF food-processing residual compost can be successfully used as an organic soil amendment for salad green production.

Resource and environment are amongst the primarily important requirements for human existence, moreover they are playing a particularly decisive role in success of resource-based enterprises. This essay explores the current situation and characteristics of the Chinese Resource Tax, and then analyses the relationship between Resource Tax and the green production of resource-based enterprises; furthermore this essay offers three pieces of advice on the tax reform from the respective of adding advantages to the green production of those resource-based enterprises: to implement a distinctive tax rate intending a convert in the tendency of resource selection; to adjust the criterion of tax rate setting from the prices to the pollution degrees of particular products; to transit the tax base from quantity sold to quantity exploited.

Maize cultivation within EEC covered in 1977 4.88 million ha, 2.7 million of which were green production and 2.1 million forage production. While the area sown to grain maize, although showing great variations among years, remained constant, the area cultivated for green maize has increased steadily since 1970 and will probably continue to expand.

A new Danish macroalgae project (Acronym MAB3) financed by the Danish Strategic Research Council presents an integrated macroalgae biorefinery concept. It was started from march 2012 and will continue for the next 4 years (2012-2016). Initial studies on the first harvested materials of wild Laminaria digtata (harvested during the summer 2012 from Limfjorden in Denmark), including cultivation, pretreatment and bioethanol set-up and trials will be presented in this presentation. The macroalgae substrates were screw-pressed to dewater and the algae biomass were fractionated before storage by ensiling (with lactic acid bacteria) or simple drying. Pretreatment was carried out using wet-milling and enzymatic hydrolysis in accordance with 1G bioethanol technology from corn. Different commercial enzyme mixtures for fully or partly hydrolysis of algae sugar polymers into monomers were tested and conversion of the differently pretreated macroalgae biomass into ethanol by fermentation were compared. The protein contents and nutrient salts in residues from ethanol fermentation trials were characterized for potential fish feed.A first-step scenario for sustainability and feasibility assessment will be presented for this innovative process of biorefining of value-added algae proteins derived directly through fermentation processes of algae sugars to bioenergy carriers.

The purpose of this paper is to operationalize theoretical and empirical tools suggested for the private label cosmetics manufacturer. The approach is to enable manufacturers to start designing theoretical tools in order to manage technologies and navigate in the cosmetic industry to maintain or improve their industrial position. The research predominantly employs qualitative methods with elements of quantitative methods to strengthen the findings’ reliability. To embrace the multiplicity of engaged and involved parties, several interviews has been made; employees at CosComp, customers, suppliers, NGO’s and experts, supporting the theoretical review. The cosmetic industry is driven by trends and regulations, which manufacturers have to meet. Suggestions for further work have been made on investigating how to break the vicious circle of critical customers and stakeholders. This paper is suggesting a broader approach to cosmetics than the traditional view of chemistry and marketing; given that private label cosmetics is being marketing within the supermarket/discount sector it means greater availability, but also more concerns and confusions. The purpose of this paper is to operationalize theoretical and empirical tools suggested for the private label cosmetics manufacturer. The approach is to enable manufacturers to start designing theoretical tools in order to manage technologies and navigate in the cosmetic industry to maintain or improve their industrial position. The research predominantly employs qualitative methods with elements of quantitative methods to strengthen the findings’ reliability. To embrace the multiplicity of engaged and involved parties, several interviews has been made; employees at CosComp, customers, suppliers, NGO’s and experts, supporting the theoretical review. The cosmetic industry is driven by trends and regulations, which manufacturers have to meet. Suggestions for further work have been made on investigating how to break the vicious circle of critical customers and stakeholders. This paper is suggesting a broader approach to cosmetics than the traditional view of chemistry and marketing; given that private label cosmetics is being marketing within the supermarket/discount sector it means greater availability, but also more concerns and confusions.