4 Benefits of Lean Six Sigma in Environmental and Energy Management Industry

The grand challenges we face today on a global scale are all related to the environment. These challenges occur in the shape of global warming, increase in the incidence of natural disasters (hurricane and flooding), depleting reserves of non-renewable resources and increasing stress on the naturally occurring ecology.

In such a scenario, a new branch of industry called Environmental and Energy Management is playing a critical role to address the threats we face. There are scientists, biologists, and geologists who are working at the heart of this industry and making important changes. However, to make a solid mark on the business and management aspects of industries, it needs to learn from changes that have helped other industries. Lean Six Sigma is one of those management philosophies that have helped companies in both manufacturing and services, and can help it too.

Lean Six Sigma is a term acquired by combining two different business management philosophies Lean and Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma is a methodology first implemented in the manufacturing industry of USA that aims to continuously improve the operations of a business. These terminologies are fairly comprehensive, but in a nutshell, Lean focuses on eliminating waste in the workplace by recognizing anything that isn’t adding value to end products for customers (such as wasted time, movement, materials, etc.). Six Sigma principles emerge from a similar line of thinking and are concerned with reducing the number of defects and the amount of variations in the production line.

Lean Six Sigma can help the Environmental and Energy Management Industry in following ways:

​1. Culture of Continuous Improvement

One of the most important tasks of Environmental and Energy Management organizations is to implement stringent internal control standards, and continuously reduce energy consumption and environmental impact on the production and use of products.

Lean and Six Sigma tools engage staff working throughout an organization in identifying and preventing waste. Making use of such tools can help achieve the organization’s aims much easier and reinforcing individual roles and responsibilities among the employees. The more people there are on the ground eliminating environmental wastes and recognizing improvement opportunities, the more progress can be made.

​2. Fast and Dramatic Results

​Environmental concerns we face today need an urgent response from the corporate world. Lean Six Sigma produces change and results fast. Through identification of waste producing activities and implementing specific solutions, businesses that run Lean Six Sigma programs have seen improvements in their efficiency in less than a week. When environmental issues are integrated into Lean Six Sigma activities, companies have seen quick and compelling environmental results. 

​3. Avoided Compliance Pitfalls

​Environmental and Energy Management Organizations work under strict checks from the Environment Management Associations of their respective countries. Implementation of Lean Six Sigma program can help in standardization of the work flows and therefore meet the environmental and regulatory compliance requirements. 

​4. New Market for Environmental Improvement Ideas

An important role played by Environmental and Energy Management Organizations is the promotion of energy conservation and environmental protection practices.

By implementing with Lean and Six Sigma programs, Environmental and Energy Management organizations can connect the wealth of environmental improvement ideas and tools with those who are driving strategic and operational change within many other industries and organizations.

If you wish to learn more about the system of Lean Six Sigma, please check out LearningManager Lean Six Sigma.