In the not-too-distant future, environmentally benign manufacturing will become one of industry’s greatest strategic challenges, not only from an engineering perspective, but from a business and marketing perspective as well.

Many large, multinational companies are cognizant of impending overseas environmental regulations and growing consumer demand for a new generation of environmentally friendly products, and they are beginning to formulate their response. Some have embraced the notion that green products and production techniques are a competitive weapon. But many manufacturers, especially smaller ones in the United States, are far behind in acknowledging and addressing the environmental concerns of governments and consumers, according to a soon-to-be released analysis from the World Technology Evaluation Center at Loyola College in Maryland.

"There is a real serious concern in Japan and Europe and we don’t see the same thing here except for one trend which is for larger multinational companies to attempt to project an image of social responsibility," says Timothy Gutowski, chairman of the WTEC Environmentally Benign Manufacturing panel and a professor at MIT. "My feeling is that in many cases it’s sincere. They offer their own environmental assessment and metrics which look real, but they might be difficult to confirm from an outside source."

Timothy Gutowski

Chairman of the WTEC Environmentally Benign Manufacturing panel and a professor at MIT