IfM Report - "Towards a Sustainable Industrial System With Recommendations for Education, Research, Industry and Policy"

University of Cambridge (9/21) – This report, published in September 2009, calls for a collaborative effort by academics, teachers, industrialists and policy makers to create a sustainable, global industrial system. Leading professors from the fields of design, production, operations management and service science gathered with thought leaders from industry and professional organisations to attempt to chart the route to a more integrated and mature understanding of sustainable industrial systems. The report presents cases where industry is already taking action towards more sustainable systems.

We argue that those industrial organisations that predict and plan for a sustainable future are likely to survive into the next generation. Learning how to use significantly less material and energy to create the same or better customer value, while creating little or no waste is not only a sensible long-term strategy but a compelling argument in today’s volatile world. Such businesses will be resilient to some of the forces bearing upon them. The moment for significant action is now.