a sustainable world: George Thomas

Manufacturing Industry in Transformation to a More Sustainable World

George Thomas, Copenhagen

Preamble

As human beings, we are part of God’s creation. We have a responsibility to love and care for what God has entrusted to us as its stewards. Our primary task as Christians is to become partners in God’s mission towards establishing the values of His kingdom on this earth. It is high time that we as followers of Christ look at what is happening around us through the eyes of Jesus. The exploitation of earth’s resources, uncontrolled consumerism, continuing dependence on fossil fuels, and reckless economic expansions undermine the very basis of sustainability. We cannot ignore the manufacturing industry’s contribution to the increase of carbon footprint, which, in turn, is contributing to global warming. In our quest for efficiency, speed and comfort, have we disregarded the value of Nature in its own right?

High levels of consumption of commodities produced by manufacturing industries (such as cement, concrete, steel, etc.) are responsible for the degradation of the environment and rapidly diminishing natural resources. Today, second only to water, concrete is the most consumed material, with three tonnes per year used for every person in the world. Air pollution, water scarcity, soil degradation, poor rehabilitation of raw material quarries, disturbed biodiversity, unfair displacement of communities and livelihoods, and unfair compensation to landowners (mostly farmers) are just some of the issues stemming from growing industrial development.

This paper attempts to: (i) reflect on the need for a new ecological ethic based on spirituality, (ii) examine the linkage between Christian spirituality and sustainability, (iii) explore the contours of the three pillars of sustainability, (iv) probe the sustainability frame from the stance of manufacturing industries, (v) highlight the impact of the cement industry – a major polluter (with which the author has been closely associate for more than five decades) on sustainability, and (vi) look ahead beyond the deliberations of the recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Hallmarks of Christian Spirituality

First, Christian spirituality is biblically defined as the practice o the beliefs of the Christian faith. It includes both knowledge and action. James 1:25 notes, “But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and preservers, being no hearer that forget gut a doer that act, he shall be blessed in his doing.” From the earliest writings of the New Testament, the principle of integrated and authentic faith and action has been taught as essential to Christian spirituality.

Second, Christian spirituality relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. The Holy Spirit serves to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), gives joy (Ephesians 5:1*), and convicts when we sin (Ephesians $:30). True spirituality depends on the supernatural power God gives through the Holy Spirit rather than dependence on human strength.

Finally, the pursuit of Christian spirituality will result in what the Bible calls the fruits of the Spirit: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control,: against such things there is no law (Galatians 5: 22-23). Thus Christian spirituality is for the honor of God, personal maturity, and serves as a blessing to others, thus ensuring sustainable living for all on this planet.

Third, Christian spirituality is concerned for all of a person’s life. Rather, than separating spiritual, physical, financial, social, and other life components into distinct areas, Christian spirituality is concerned with how all of

Nature and Spirituality

One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken. Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer.

There is a growing concern and argument that our alienation from Nature is at its peak and that we face a crisis of spirituality regarding our relationship with Nature. Therefore, we need a spiritual awakening that promotes a profound sense of earth stewardship that can form the foundation of a new ecological ethic.

While mainstream discourse on sustainable development seems to focus on areas such as renewable energy, climate change, ecological economics, sustainable agriculture, and urban design and planning, an acknowledgment of the spiritual dimension of our lives seems lacking within this discourse. There are a number of possible reasons for this including the fact that rational, scientific thinking still dominates the worldview. Spirituality is understood and practiced by people in different ways. It is generally regarded as something personal and private.

life connects to our relationship with God. For example, the use of our fiancés reflects the attitude of our hearts (Mathew 6:21). How we treat our body reflects our spiritual life in important ways (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Three Pillars of Sustainability

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is often characterized in terms of economic viability, environmental protection, and social equality.

Sustainability is made up of three pillars: economy, society, and environment. These pillars in a way represent profit, people and the planet. The need for aggregated sustainability information has become a concrete goal of industries and corporates committed to sustainable development. New investments into projects in the manufacturing and other sectors call for rigorous assessments and appraisals of their techno-economic feasibility besides environmental and social sustainability.

Social sustainability is about identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people. It consists of factors such as location, supply chain, labor practices, re-settlement issues, training and education, reporting, health and safety, and cultural aspects.

Economic sustainability refers to practices that support the long-term economic growth of the enterprise without negatively impacting the social and environmental aspects of the community. The economic factors include tax rate, exchange rate, inflation, demand/supply, wages, governmental policies and activities in infrastructure, etc. Economic sustainability requires that a business uses its resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable manner to consistently produce an operational profit.

Environmental sustainability refers to the conservation of natural resources and protection of global ecosystems - now and in the future. Environmental sustainability tackles the effects of climate change, pollution, and other environmental factors that can harm people's health, livelihoods, and lives.

Thus, sustainable development means conservation and development of resources (including people) without harming the natural environment and economic interest. Hence, the formula of sustainable development is pres (preservation) + cons (conservation).

Manufacturing Industry and Sustainability

Manufacturing is the production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, and chemical or biological processing. The term is most commonly applied to industries in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale.

The manufacturing industry usually causes environmental pollution by emitting solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes. Often a large-scale manufacturing industry causes major issues of social and cultural concern.

Sustainability is no longer an option for the manufacturing sector. It is imperative. Increasing energy use, resource depletion and waste generation are creating an urgency to rethink current consumer and business practices, and specifically to address priorities related to sustainability.

Sustainable manufacturing uses processes that are nonpolluting; these processes conserve energy and natural resources and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers. Industries like cement and concrete have made tremendous progress towards improving process efficiency, lowering energy consumption, reducing environmental pollution, and enhancing the health and safety records of their employees.

Cement Industry: A Daunting Example

The cement industry is one of the most polluting industries of the manufacturing sector. It emits a considerable amount of fine dust besides certain gaseous wastes such as carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas. This industry is among the key drivers of climate change, responsible for 6 to 9% of global CO2 emissions.

Cement manufacturing is involves the quarrying of substantial volumes and tonnages of raw materials, crushing and grinding of raw mixes and intermediate products which in turn cause air pollution by creating dust, exacerbating respiratory diseases. Other elements of pollution include high levels of noise, ground vibration, solid wastes, and resources-depletion due to raw material extraction.

In the 2016 Paris agreement, it was agreed to keep the global temperature increase below 2 degrees C. To achieve this, CO2 emissions will have to be reduced by 80 to 90% by 2050. Consequently, the cement industry faces increasing pressure, but it has already started to address this challenge.

The UN Climate Change Conference and Beyond

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) concluded its deliberations in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021. The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year, at COP27, set to take place in Egypt.

By the end of 2022, the Glasgow pact asks countries to revisit their nationally determined contributions and strengthen them to bring them in line with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C is broadly accepted as a critical goal to avoiding worsening climate consequences. But it is clear that current national commitments will not get us there. We will need stronger emissions reductions pledges, especially from the largest greenhouse gas emitters. Expanding creativity, innovation, and determination from every sector of society to get on with real-world solutions is essential.

The private sector also showed strong engagement with nearly 500 global financial services firms agreeing to align US$130 trillion – some 40% of the world’s financial assets – with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C. COP26 has triggered new hopes and expectations in spite of certain serious disappointments and lurking concerns about the broader issues of sustainability. Several large companies, or multinational brands, have made significant sustainability promises, and there will be increasing pressures to meet those promises.

Finale

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Manufacturing industries such as cement and concrete, though vital to overall economic development, have a special responsibility to uphold the three pillars of sustainability –economic, social and environmental.

We have a narrow and critical window of opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the private sector will have a growing role to help slow and reverse those emissions. Christian entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, managers, employees and other stakeholders have a duty to consciously integrate their faith element into the whole realm of sustainable development. As stewards of God's creation, Christians believe that humans have a responsibility towards the environment and Nature. God reveals himself in Nature. Living sustainably can help us grow closer to God and preserve Nature for generations to come.

“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God” (Saint John of Damascus 749 AD).

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Thanking God for the First FOCUS Decade

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lam 3: 23).

“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, . . . Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

(Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) – Christian Worship: Hymnal #602)

It is with absolute humility and deep gratitude to God that we are entering into the 10th year of this ecumenical publication directed towards the Indian Christian Diaspora Communities across the world. We sincerely thank all our contributors and our readers for journeying with us and helping us with your hospitable presence. Thank you for being our fellow travellers in our spiritual journey. May God continue to bless you to be a blessing to the whole inhabited earth (oikoumene).