Realizing sustainability in CPG manufacturing

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers are strongly motivated today to pursue sustainability, but many are struggling to transform lofty sustainability ideals into practical, attainable objectives for their manufacturing enterprise. How does the oft-cited “people, planet, profit” concept guide actual sustainability manufacturing initiatives? All too often, it seems as though “people” and “planet” are pitted against “profit”: CPG manufacturers’ efforts to minimize adverse environmental and social impacts cut into their financial gains. Happily, this does not need to be the case. Through a strategic application of manufacturing operations management (MOM) and other digital manufacturing systems, CPG companies achieve new efficiencies as they innovate and produce sustainable value for consumers, communities, employees, the environment – and their bottom line. This white paper explores sustainability in manufacturing and proposes that manufacturing initiatives founded on digital manufacturing solutions, including a special focus on formulated product design (FPD), simultaneously improve a CPG company’s positive contributions to people, planet and profit.