Global Changes Sustainable Built Environment

Question: Discuss about the Global Changes for Sustainable Built Environment. Answer: Introduction: Doing well by doing good should be the motto of everyone (Falck and Heblich, 2007).A sustainable profile of a company not only enhances its market reputation but also helps in improving the financial prospects of the company (Goldstein, 2010). Eagle Valley Health Foods wants to change its companys work profile to be more sustainable. The findings on the companys working states that: Work Place- The work place of the company needs to follow the sustainable methods and that are reuse, recycle, and reduce. It is important that the whole work process starting from the raw materials suppliers to the end-user should be well processed. The company is not taking any measures to reduce the waste produced by the work operations (Arif and Syal, 2013). Packaging- the company is using packaging made from polypropylene that is a product made from thermoplastic. Plastic in any ways is harmful to the environment. This packaging is not appropriate for the food products (Jolink and Niesten, 2013). Water Usage- 70 % of the companys production is based on the water. No measures are taken to reduce the water usage in the company. The water taxes have increased in the last two years which makes it very costly (Fish, 2016). Discussion Sustainability not only brings profits to the company but also increases the reputation of the company in the customers eyes (Lawn, 2008). The companys work processes need to be changed and all the new processes should be designed by keeping in mind the three main components of sustainability, and they are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Another part where the company lacks behind in sustainability process is the usage of the packaging material (Warshawsky, 2015). The company is using polypropylene for the packaging purpose which is made from thermoplastic material. Plastic is a material that cannot be decomposed by nature and if decomposed mechanically, then it release harmful gases (Mort, 2010). If the company changes its packaging material, then the company will become more sustainable. The companys 70% operations are based on water usage, and the company is not taking any measure to reduce its usage. As the prices of water are also increasing, therefore, it is not even cost-efficient . The company needs to work on the following findings to improve the sustainability of the company (Oke, 2015). Recommendations Some recommendations that can help in improving the sustainability of the company is: - Packaging- The requirements that make a particular packaging of the product more sustainable are as follows:- Packaging of the products should be cost effective as well as functional throughout the value chain. It should be resource and energy efficient packaging A packaging that could be cycled or recycled easily termed to be more sustainable. The packaging material should be environment-friendly that means it should be non-toxic (Gronman et al., 2012). Water Usage- Following steps could be taken by the company to reduce the usage of the water in the production process:- Using vacuuming, sweeping, and high-pressure trigger nozzle hoses for cleaning rather than water Identifying the processes where water could be reused or recycled A maintenance program needs to be setup that will check any leakage or blockage. Rain water harvesting system could be installed The existing water fixtures could be changed with more water efficient fixtures (Kraft, 2009). Work Place- Sustainability can be brought by making few changes in the work place through the following processes:- Rights steps need to be taken by the company at the right time to improve the performance of the business mainly focusing the areas of increasing the water, materials efficiency, energy, and reducing waste. Eagle Valley Health Foods needs to engage its retailers, suppliers, and all of its service providers and work on improving the sustainability from the starting of the supply chain. All the steps decided to be taken to bring sustainability in the company need to be monitored, evaluated, and bring continued improvement as required (Food SA Zero Waste SA, 2014). Conclusion Sustainability is a process which every business likes to initiate in their work-process to leave a positive effect on the environment. The company works out various processes that can help in increasing sustainability of the operations as it is not only cost effective but environment-friendly too, which attract customers. It concludes that, if Eagle Valley Health Food Company initiates the above-given processes of sustainability, then it will help the company to become more sustainable. References Arif, M. and Syal, M. (2013). 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