Stepping Towards Sustainable Business: An Evaluation of Waste Minimization Practices in US Manufacturing

Central to the movement of organizations toward environmental sustainability is the financial viability and environmental effectiveness of the techniques for improving environmental performance. While waste-minimization practices (WMPs) have been touted as a key element in moving manufacturing organizations toward sustainability, we know little about their utilization and effectiveness across a range of industrial and organizational contexts. Using waste-minimization data collected as part of the Toxics Release Inventory, we studied 250 manufacturing firms to provide empirical evidence to enable plant managers to prioritize waste-minimization options. We found clear evidence of a corporate double bonus WMPs can provide through pollution reduction and enhanced operational efficiency relative to traditional end-of-pipe solutions. In the array of ecologically sustainable business practices, it appears that WMPs provide immediate environmental and operational benefits and build momentum for further steps toward environmentally sustainable economic development.