The world's factories move towards "green manufacturing"

As a recognized world factory, China's manufacturing industry is experiencing unprecedented "green trade barriers". On June 1, 2007, the European Union formally implemented the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH Regulation), which restricts the production, import, circulation and use of chemicals. The regulation will not only have a huge impact on the petroleum and chemical industries, but also on the textile, light industry, electronics, automotive, pharmaceutical and other industries.

REACH regulation is another "green trade barrier" encountered by Chinese enterprises after the WEEE directive in 2005 and the RoHS directive in 2006. The WEEE Directive requires manufacturers to affix recycling labels on products sold to EU member states after August 13, 2005; to improve product design, and to be responsible for recycling and disposing of waste electrical and electronic products entering the EU market; production The merchant shall also pay for the recovery, treatment, recycling, etc. of the product. The ROHS Directive requires that electrical and electronic products placed on the EU market after July 1, 2006 shall not contain 6 harmful substances such as lead, mercury and cadmium.

In order to maintain international competitiveness, Chinese manufacturing enterprises must achieve industrial upgrading and move towards green manufacturing.

In order to cope with the international "green trade barriers", China implemented the "Administrative Measures for the Control of Pollution from Electronic Information Products" (referred to as China RoHS) on March 1, 2007. All enterprises producing or selling electronic products in my country must Information such as the name, composition, environmental protection use period and recyclability of the toxic and hazardous substances contained in the product label. The Outline of the National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan emphasizes that my country should actively develop green manufacturing and accelerate the application of related technologies in the whole life cycle of products such as material and product development and design, processing and manufacturing, sales services, and recycling, so as to form a highly efficient , energy saving, environmental protection and recyclable new manufacturing industry, so that the resource consumption and environmental load level of my country's manufacturing industry have entered the international advanced ranks.

At present, China's leading companies in the electronics, automotive and other industries have incorporated increasingly stringent environmental regulations and achieved sustainable development into their corporate development strategies.

For example, Guangzhou Wanbao has established cooperation with GE in material application and alternative technology. TCL is organizing and implementing the replacement work of related materials, lead-free soldering process, and green supply chain management. Midea Electric has established an environmental quality control system and inspection standards for hazardous substances, and has achieved preliminary results in the research on lead-free electrical and electronic components. Most of the externally purchased components have also signed green procurement quality assurance agreements with suppliers. TPV has been promoting green manufacturing for many years. On the premise of ensuring performance, we try to use less materials and put as many manufacturing links as possible in the same place to reduce transportation costs, fully save product transportation space, and reduce freight. TPV's experience proves that green manufacturing does not increase costs.

In the auto industry, my country has begun to promote the remanufacturing of auto parts products, which not only saves resources but also protects the environment. The automobile industry has also begun to study new processes, new equipment and new materials for energy conservation and emission reduction, and promote resource-saving, energy-saving and environment-friendly green manufacturing process technologies. Among them, the development of clean energy vehicles and the use of new materials can achieve The lightweight of automobiles is an important development direction. At present, leading companies in the automotive industry, such as DPCA, Shanghai GM, and Beiqi Foton, have begun to implement green manufacturing projects.

The realization of green manufacturing including green design, green materials, green technology, green production, green packaging, and green recycling, combined with the implementation of ISO14000 international environmental protection standards, can effectively reduce the impact of the products produced by enterprises on the environment and improve the resource utilization. Green manufacturing has not only become an important means for well-known enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities, but also a key way for these enterprises to enhance their comparative competitive advantages.

Huang Pei, Chief Editor and CEO of e-works China Manufacturing Information Portal. He is a member of the 9th and 10th All-China Youth Federation, a member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Youth Federation, a senior member of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, an executive director of the Hubei Mechanical Engineering Society, and an adjunct professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He has successively won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, the second prize of Hubei Province Science and Technology Progress Award, and the first prize of Wuhan Municipal Science and Technology Progress Award.

He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and an Advanced Management Certificate from the Larry School of Management, Rensselaer University (RPI).