In my last post,
I discussed how design-thinking can be applied to address the rampant
problem of e-waste. Sustainability Certifications are helping to move
industries in the right direction by encouraging manufacturers to design
products to be easily dismantled for recycling and material
reclamation, and by encouraging retailers to implement product take-back
programs to redirect consumer e-waste from the landfill back to those
manufacturers.
These same ideas can also be applied to
other industrial and corporate systems to drive improved worker safety
and reduced social risk.
Design for Socially-Responsible Manufacturing
In addition to an array of environmental considerations, the smartphone Sustainability Certification
evaluates parameters that support socially-responsible manufacturing.
Social compliance includes environmental, health and safety (EHS)
programs, reduction in hazardous materials in manufacturing operations,
and ensuring worker health and safety throughout the supply chain. These
compliance areas can take a costly hit to a firm’s bottom line when
things go awry. Think Apple’s Foxxconn debacle, which impacted the
company’s image. More recent examples (though not smartphone
manufacturers) are the garment factory building collapse in Bangladesh or the explosion at the West Fertilizer plant
in Texas. If production systems are not designed for social
responsibility, it is bad for workers and the communities, bad for the
company, and bad for the environment.
However, a sustainability certification
alone cannot guarantee that a product reflects socially-responsible
design. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was certified as Sustainable by TCO, but
just a few weeks later claims surfaced about abysmal working conditions at Samsung factories and documented cancer clusters at the company. TCO is investigating
and the results have not yet been released, but this episode highlights
the complexity of the global electronics supply chain.The point of good
design, however, is that when it is properly followed it should scale
with the organization. This will not happen organically – it must be
reinforced with policies, training, and ongoing stakeholder engagement
for continuous improvement. But if the foundation is built on social
responsibility at the core, it will be much more difficult for the
organization to devolve.
Social compliance (and CSR in general) is
not usually considered a design problem. But it is. If systems and
operational processes are designed for sustainability, the risks of
exposure to liability from non-compliance (and risks to the environment,
workers, and communities) are all minimized. By designing in processes
for stakeholder engagement and sustainability governance that drive
accountability, systems can be redesigned to transform the organization
towards sustainability. It will move corporations from a reactive
compliance-driven stance into an industry-leading position that can
attract and retain top talent, reduce exposure to risk, and capture
innovative ideas from key stakeholders.