Research Log: IT’S OUR F***ING BACKYARD

How to Inspire Sustainable Practices

by Ab Stevels

Editorial Note

On the occasion of the exhibition It’s our F***ing Backyard. Designing Material Futures the Stedelijk commissioned emeritus professor Ab Stevels of TU Delft to write a set of Research Logs about the use of sustainable materials and the history of its design and application. Drawing from decades of experience in both design, industry, and academic fields, in this set of logs he addresses what designers and companies can do to become more sustainable. but also how as consumers, we can all become more vigilant of companies that might be greenwashing their activities.

Start with yourself

The answer is actually quite simple: start with yourself, with your own company. In other words, first get your own house in order, because you will need to have addressed each point you raise with your supplier within your own operation. Not only will this give you the permission to raise the issue, but you will also be able to offer practical examples of what’s feasible.

Approach your supplier for information

Next, ask your supplier for hard data. Stress that the figures are merely needed to help you both draw up a sustainability improvement plan, rather than to pressure them into giving you a better deal.

If the supplier’s a factory, ask the factory manager questions like: ‘What’s your input to output ratio?’ (which in scientific terms is asking them to provide an account of the material entering and leaving the system, otherwise known as the mass balance or material balance). Ask for input (in the form of kWh) of electricity; volumes of water and natural gas (in mᶾ); kilograms of material, auxiliary materials and packaging materials, etc. Ask them which materials contain potentially toxic chemicals, and in what concentrations.

And, last but not least, request output data in the form of kilograms of finished product, weight of the various waste streams (including where the contents of these streams end up) and volume of wastewater (in mᶾ). There will likely be a difference between input and output, yielding the inevitable question of where the missing weight or volume goes? The greater the difference, the more pressing the need for action!

Then find out what they’re already doing in terms of sustainability: Are there solar panels on the roof? How much recycled material (including packaging material) does the supplier use?

Ask them if they have ISO certificates of environmental management. Explain that your company could be held equally accountable for their failure to obtain such certificates, particularly if you’re a multinational.

You’ll learn a great deal just from the completeness and quality of their answers.

Image from Green Supply Chain Management lecture by Ab Stevels, Brasil, 2012.

Visit the supplier in person

Plan a visit to your supplier, but give them plenty of notice: this’ll give them time to fill in the gaps in the data already provided and adopt whatever measures are necessary to address the points you’ve raised.

Take one of your procurement managers with you (as the sustainability assessment role will be theirs following the integration of sustainability into every aspect of operations), but emphasize the purpose of your visit: to discuss one subject and one subject alone: sustainability.

When you arrive, explain to the supplier that you’ve just come to pool ideas about sustainability and work with them to create an action plan to help improve their performance in this area. Mention your experience in this area, with examples from your own operations. Also mention that your visit is part of a process of helping them comply with standards that apply to all your suppliers, and that compliance with these standards will automatically ensure their compliance with international standards (something many small and medium-sized enterprises struggle with).

It’s important to also visit the factories of their sub-suppliers. When you do, you your hosts will likely paint the most favorable picture of the operation to impress you. Take this with a pinch of salt and when the time is right, ask for a moment to listen to the rhythm of the operation. Smooth-running manufacturing operations have a certain rhythm, a consistent cadence or hum of activity. If there’s any discordance in the sound (irregular banging or cracking noises), try to locate its source — you’re almost guaranteed to find something that doesn’t seem right. With your experience, you may find you’re able offer suggestions there and then.

Have a look around the packing and dispatch department: it’s not a good sign if it’s messy. Do a rough calculation of carton sizes to product dimensions to see if they’re optimizing their packaging. Any immediate suggestions that come to mind may constitute such self-evident improvements that they may now be eager for more. The same goes for suggestions regarding the ratio of recycled cardboard in their packaging, though you’ll obviously need some experience to work out the current ratio.

Take a look at their factory waste collection and disposal area. These are often a complete mess, which your hosts may try to laugh off by saying you’re the first outsider to request a peek. Ask if they keep track of the source of all their waste and where it goes once it leaves the premises: this often reveals a goldmine of ideas for environmental improvement. See if the restrooms are clean and tidy and, if possible, have lunch in the staff canteen.

During factory visits when I worked at Philips, we made mental lists of things that could be improved. These lists easily grew to 10-15 items before we’d even had the time to fully process what we were seeing, so unless you have a fantastic memory, don’t forget to take a notepad.

Present your observations to the supplier in a way that’s likely to capture their imagination, because not only will they have to execute the improvements themselves, but you also want to leave them with a sense of excitement at the prospect of embarking on an environmental journey.

Throughout your visit, make sure you talk to them like a partner, rather than as a demanding client (which is, unfortunately, what many people in your position do). But remember that your comments and suggestions are likely to be received in different ways depending on where you are in the world, given

cultural differences in communication from one country to the next. These differences may not be immediately apparent, so just try to treat your ‘partners’ with the respect you would wish to be accorded as a fellow human being. And if you do this, you’ll not only likely achieve what you set out to do, but the factory owners will probably reward you with something tangible, like preferred treatment or better terms, which would make your procurement people very happy indeed.

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About the Author

Albert (“Ab”) Stevels studied Chemical Engineering at the Technical University of Eindhoven and took a PhD degree in Physics and Chemistry at Groningen University. He has worked for Royal Philips Electronics in manifold capacities in materials research, glass production technology, as a business manager in electro-optics, and as a project manager for joint ventures and licensing in Asia. These experiences helped him develop the concept of Applied EcoDesign and integrate it into day-to-day business operations. He has also conducted a great deal of in-depth research on the treatment of discarded electronics, the findings of which helped lay the groundwork for setting up take-back and recycling systems at Philips NL. In 1995 Ab was appointed professor in Environmental Design at Delft University of Technology. He has had visiting professorships at several universities including Stanford University, TU Berlin, Georgia Institute of Technology, NTN University in Trondheim, and Tsinghua University in Beijing. He also worked with the University of Sao Paulo to develop an MBA program and Sustainability course.

Stevels is the author of some 200 journal articles and conference contributions. For more on his experiences with green design and in-house management of ‘eco’ and e-waste, see his book Adventures in EcoDesign of Electronic Products.

IT’S OUR F***ING BACKYARD

August 24, 2022/by Nikolai