A review of environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM) strategy

Increasing commercial pressures and environmental laws and regulations are having impacts across industry. In response to these pressures, the study of manufacturing strategy has generated considerable interest in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM) strategies. This paper comprises a review of relevant published literature on the subject. The main categories of publications have been identified: life-cycle approach, Eco-design; and environmental management. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues raised as a result of the review, identifying general agreement that there is a need for a methodology that will help manufacturing enterprises to develop their ECM strategy that provides a basis for manufacturers to improve their environmental performance.