Australian manufacturers planning for a long term future will need to create a sustainable manufacturing path in order to survive. Sustainability has become a critical part of doing business today, and needs to be integrated by companies into their production and operations.

However, given that every manufacturing operation is unique, each company will have to define what they deem as being sustainable and how they plan to achieve it – through innovation, resource efficiency and reducing the amount of materials that end up as waste[1].

The plastics manufacturing segment itself was once seen as the ‘environmental vandals’ of the industry but many are now cleaning up their act.

So, what is Everhard Industries doing to combat this ‘environmental vandal’ image?

Everhard Industries ensures their drainage products are made with conscious materials such as polymer, a high quality recyclable plastic with a long shelf life that reduces the possibility of getting discarded later in life. All aspects of the designs of the newest EasyDRAIN Edge have been thought through meticulously. Prototyping of the product was completed locally by 3D printing using PLA, a plant based material, and an additive manufacturing method that reduces waste in comparison to subtractive manufacturing methods.

All EasyDRAIN polymer products are produced with a circular economy in mind – polymer is a sustainable material and the lifespan of the product is increased by adding a UV stabiliser that protects it from degradation when exposed to harmful UV rays; this not only increases the life of the product but also reduces the need for replacements. At the end of its product life, EasyDRAIN can be recycled back into the economy instead of going into landfill.

This is just one of the small manufacturing changes that Everhard has made as it moves to a more circular economy in manufacturing.

[1] Johnson, Alan. 2014. Understanding environmental sustainability in manufacturing. https://www.manmonthly.com.au/features/understanding-environmental-sustainability-in-manufacturing/