In response to your peers, respectfully state whether or not you agree with the opinions of your peers. Why or why not?

When it comes to companies in the current global market and their sustainability, environmental consciousness is a key player in their success, but could also be their downfall. What do I mean by this? Basically, implementing new environmental processes and procedures could actually increase the costs that are associated with manufacturing, and if not done the correct way, could cost the company even more money. This would either lead to a break-even point for the product or even worse, a deficit in the profits from that said product. "A number of studies have recently argued that efforts to lower the costs of waste management and disposal and to reduce waste and emissions need not negatively affect corporate performance, and at times may actually improve it.' While the logic underlying this so-called win-win argument is somewhat compelling, research to date has mainly consisted of case studies and thus is insufficient to support its claims (Florida, 1996)." Being able to adopt new and more environmentally conscious programs and manufacturing processes allows companies to actually perform with more care for 1.) How the environment will be affected by the wastes that are created as by-products? 2.) How do these by-products from waste creation affect the health of the employees that are exposed? and 3.) How will these wastes/ by-products be discarded safely? These are just some of the questions that are asked by operations managers for different companies globally. Being able to put sustainability plans and actions in place will actually create environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies.

Does environmentally friendly manufacturing affect the sustainability of the organization? Some business managers believe that it can actually go both ways. First and foremost, creating environmentally friendly manufacturing processes does lead to better sustainability practices and efforts for the company. It also allows the consumers of said products to see that their company is making changes so that they can positively affect the environment and help to save it from depleting the ozone layer even further than it has already been destroyed by years of bad and unhealthy manufacturing processes. Some managers still see having sustainability plans as a bad thing because it drives up their bottom line, leading to no profit for weeks on end, or even worse, leading to a deficit in their manufacturing budget. This can happen, but if the operations manager is as good as they say they are, then this challenge can be seen as an incentive to do better and figure out ways to help bring the manufacturing costs down, and also keep the safe practices of the company for the future. Some business experts see environmentally friendly manufacturing as a fad, being that within the next few decades, it will dissipate. I do not agree with that at all. Companies all around the globe should have some standards when it comes to the environmental risks that are associated with manufacturing, especially when it comes to textiles, chemicals, and other such dangerous and hazardous products that have by-products that are super toxic to not just the environment, but to human health.