With customers, partners, and governments increasingly requiring industrial manufacturing companies to minimize their environmental impact, sustainability is becoming a matter of future survival. However, a commitment to science-based targets for reducing carbon emissions or achieving carbon neutrality must be supported by credible actions. The concept of eco-design offers industrial manufacturers a significant opportunity to align their operations with sustainability by establishing their own sustainable factories. One way to adopt sustainable industry practices is by rethinking our approach to manufacturing. The innovative technologies employed in our manufacturing processes are just as vital to achieving sustainability goals as the products we create. Continue reading as we explore the importance of a circular economy and how the Tensor ITB-A nutrunner exemplifies eco-design.
According to The World Economic Forum, the industrial sector, which includes the manufacturing industry, consumes an estimated 50% of the world’s energy resources and accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Specific to products and tools from Atlas Copco, more than 90% of these emissions are generated after the production stage, when the products are being used. If this number can be assumed to be valid in the overall industrial manufacturing market, then the concept of eco-design can make a real, sustainable difference.
Sustainability starts on the drawing board
First introduced in 1996, ecological design, or eco-design, is an approach to designing products and services that give special consideration to the environmental impacts of a product over its entire lifecycle. In other words, eco-design is the process of integrating environmental considerations into design and development with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle, from manufacturing and utilization to recycling or disposal.
Eco-design is the backbone of the circular economy, helping to support the development of sustainable factories. In addition to benefiting the environment and creating a more sustainable industry, it also offers manufacturers substantial potential savings and operational efficiencies.
“Eco-design is about designing and efficiently producing new or improved products that provide sustainable and tangible benefits for customers in terms of productivity, energy efficiency and reduced costs throughout the products entire lifecycle”
Zeba Usmani Eco-Design Engineer at the Atlas Copco MVI Industry Division
At the core of eco-design are a number of fundamental environmental considerations that range throughout the entire lifecycle of a product from production and utilization to recycling or disposal:
Production
- Use durable materials with less environmental impact
- Use fewer materials in the manufacturing process
- Use recycled and easily recyclable materials
- Use fewer resources, whereas energy is an example, in the manufacturing process
- Produce less pollution and waste
Utilization
- Reduce the environmental impacts of product distribution
- Ensure that products use fewer resources when used by end customers
- Ensure that products cause less pollution and waste when used by end customers
- Optimize the function of products and ensure efficient and relevant service
Recycling or disposal
- Enable and simplify reuse and recycling
- Reduce the environmental impact of disposal
The Tensor ITB-A nutrunner
The Atlas Copco Tensor ITB-A Angle Cordless Nutrunner is a real-life example of an eco-designed manufacturing tool available on the market today.
“The ambition of Atlas Copco is to lower the total footprint of, for example, a vehicle being manufactured. In doing this, the choice of materials, recyclability, lifetime, and energy efficiency of our assembly solutions and tools make a difference. This is something we have focused on for a long time,” says Zeba Usmani.
The Tensor ITB-A is a range of handheld, cordless battery tools that, thanks to their energy efficiency and ease of dismantling and recycling, have a 62% lower CO2 footprint than the previous model generation. The smart tool shares an integrated controller platform that manages the tool and real-time integration with a production system. As such, it reduces the need for hardware and equipment in sustainable factories and power consumption, thus supporting sustainability efforts and a sustainable industry.
“The design with an integrated controller eliminates the environmental and climate impact in the supply chain from producing and transporting physical controllers. As the Tensor ITB-A consumes less power while in use, both the carbon footprint and the cost for the customer are reduced. The tool is also built using 34% recycled materials”, says Zeba Usmani.
