3 Ways Industrial Plants and Manufacturers are Going Green

For a long time, big factories, plants and manufacturers were some of the biggest contributors of environmental pollution in the world. This remains true to a certain extent today. However, now most manufacturers and factory owners showcase a desire to go green.

There are several reasons for this. For starters, a company that doesn’t care about environmental pollution puts itself at risk for public outrage. Also, local and international governments have imposed green standards that manufacturers must adhere to for import or export. Lastly, companies have finally realized that going green is a great way to save money.

Here are some of the ways big companies are now going green:

1. Designing Eco-Friendly Sites

Most companies will not have trouble being green if the plants or the sites in questions were designed in an environmentally-friendly manner in the first place. That’s why prominent companies, like Facebook, are deliberately designing green compounds. For example, Facebook recently built a “green” European server farm in Northern Europe.

Server farms are consuming astounding amounts of energy. Facebook’s solution is to cool the heating servers naturally using the cold winds of the area. In winter, the heat generated from the servers is redirected to nearby buildings so the energy is not wasted. This is an ingenious way to be eco-friendly, and also save greatly on electricity bills.

2. Adopting Chemical-Free Water Treatment Methods

Food manufacturing plants, clothing factories, and other large organizations depended for ages on cooling tower chemical treatment to purify the water supply. Chemical treatment of water is highly problematic for many reasons. The chemicals, even if off the scale by a miniscule amount, can be deadly. Cooling tower water treatment using harsh chemicals is also associated with environmental pollution.

Therefore, certain manufacturers are looking towards processed water treatment methods like UET systems, which do not depend on supplemental chemicals. UET does not need any additives to purify water, and depends on high-tech algorithmic solutions. Companies that adopt UET methods can reduce treatment chemicals by 19%, save water by 68% and save costs of up to 24%.

3. Switching to Solar Power

Solar power may not be suitable for all companies, depending on the location. But most companies, like the ones located in California, can easily switch to solar power, at least during the summer, to save costs and reduce environmental impact. Some companies have already done so.

For example, Google and Apple have invested in giant solar energy farms. Even in a country like Finland, where sunshine isn’t guaranteed all year around, a factory called ABB has switched to solar energy during the summer. While it will be some time before industrial plants can fully go solar, switching at least parts of an operation to solar energy can save significant amounts in costs.

For large companies involved in production and manufacturing, going green may seem to pose more problems than solutions. However, as some of the examples given above show, that doesn’t always have to be the case. Going green saves overhead costs, is good for the brand’s reputation, and is sustainable in the long term. There’s no reason that manufacturers and producers should not consider eco-friendly methods.