The short answer is, “yes.” Here’s the longer version:

This question addresses supply chain and distribution issues impacting most companies in the US and around the world. As the Pacific Rim and China have come to dominate many sectors for manufactured goods, these countries have struggled to keep up with external and internal agency and material safety standards.

Recent headlines about pet food and toothpaste reveal only the tip of this iceberg. And we only need to look to Wal-Mart to understand the pressure their suppliers are under to comply with their packaging scorecard program, and now their electronic scorecard initiative.

Wal-mart and other major retailers are attempting to polish their ‘green credentials’ in an effort to offer their customers more environmentally responsible choices. So we’ll look at how Okala can help your company connect these 21^st century business dots.

Materials, manufacturing processes and transportation

These are key areas for your business and the good news is that the Okala single-figure life cycle assessment process contains Okala Impact Factor data for evaluating all of them. If your company develops AC or DC powered products, Okala has battery and power impact factors also.

First let’s look at materials. The Okala Impact Factor data covers well over 100 common materials used in many durable products, and the numeric values clearly indicates which of these has greater or lesser environmental impacts. What it doesn’t do is determine for you what material your customer may or may not want you to include. However, you can use the data to help educate yourself and your retail partner about the impact in a given material. We know that polycarbonate (PC) bottles (beverage and baby bottles) containing PBA are now banned in Canada and some states. PES (polyethersulfone) and PE (polyester) resins are now being used as alternates. While we don’t have PES in the current Okala Impact Factor list, we do have PC and a form of PE.

Another way to use the Okala Impact Factor data is to better understand the relativity of impact for a given material. For instance, most people perceive PVC to be a very toxic, undesirable material and retailers are asking companies to reduce or eliminate its use in their products. However, when you compare the PVC listed in the Okala Impact Factors, you’ll note its impact per pound of use is not that different than other commodity resins. This is because the PVC formula we list does not contain lead or phthalates. So this particular resin formula does not fit the hype over removing all PVC’s from products. This information creates a point of discussion with your retail partner(s) before switching to potentially expensive or inferior alternatives.

The Okala Impact Factors also include a wide range of common manufacturing processes like injection molding, die casting, blow molding, etc. and their relativity of environmental impacts when processing a pound of material. It’s another educational opportunity for your team about which processes result in lower impacts. What it can’t do is control what manufacturing partners may choose to do regarding the health and safety of equipment operators.

Okala also features a wide range of impact factors for common transportation methods used to move materials and goods by land, sea, and air. Again, familiarizing your team with the various impacts per transport mode can help you and your manufacturing partners make better decisions about minimizing impacts during distribution or where and how some materials may move within your supply chain.

As you know, transportation costs play a big role and using the best combination of lower impact modes and lowest cost per unit can be problematic. But start by acquiring the knowledge – it will allow you to plan more strategically, and help you negotiate more effectively with your offshore suppliers.

Design for low environmental impacts using Okala

Your company’s desire to develop more environmentally responsible products connects directly with the single-figure Okala assessment methodology. The best way to begin is by conducting an assessment of one of your existing products (see the Radio example on page 56 of the Okala guide). This will provide you and your team with a point of impact reference. As you develop new concepts using the Okala Strategy Wheel, model those ideas and compare environmental impact results. This affords you the knowledge to guide your efforts to develop new product with lower impacts.

So ultimately Okala can help your company connect those 21st century business dots in very direct and useful ways. To order copies of the Okala Guide 2007, visit the IDSA Web site.