Sustainable manufacturing is what we need

What do you think of a company that manufactures solar panels? Do you think it is as green as it can get?

The MIT engineers conducted a research of current manufacturing processes and found them many times more energy-intesive than traditional one.

The increase of material/energy intensity use has been primarily a consequence of the introduction of new manufacturing processes, rather than changes in traditional technologies. This phenomenon has been driven by the desire for precise small-scale devices and product features and enabled by stable and declining material and energy prices over this period.

Now I really understand how by 2020 the world's demand for energy might triple if we continue to innovate the products rather than the processes. The good thing is that companies are becoming increasingly aware of the need to green up their manufacturing. But do you think this will that happen fast enough?

Photo credit: CC@Image Editor