Summary
Chemical and related industries are faced with Increasing demand for chemicals worldwide, depleting resources, consumer pressure, stricter legislation, and the rising cost of waste disposal. The adoption of the climate change laws and regulations, and the issue of sustainability must be fundamental to the way that chemical industry operates. A sustainable manufacturing approach will enable economic growth to be combined with environmental and social sustainability and will be realized via collaboration between a multidisciplinary community including chemists, biologists, engineers, environmental scientists, economists, experts in management, and policy makers. Hence, employees with new skills, knowledge, and experience are essential. According to this approach, the paper presents the design and development of a series of workshops encompassing systems thinking. After collaboration with industry, an annual program of interactive workshops was designed for graduate students to go beyond examining the “greening” of chemical reactions, processes, and products, embedding a systems thinking approach to learning.
Workshops utilize case studies that have the advantage of fostering the deployment of higher order reasoning to connect concepts and apply the knowledge gained to new contexts. As well as embedding a systems thinking approach, the workshops are also based on collaborative and inquiry-based learning approaches in order to improve vital skills such as working in teams, problem solving, and critical thinking. Some examples of workshops’ activities are described. (a) Participants analyze some examples of literature research claiming to use green methods. (b) They also make decisions about a pharmaceutical case study, considering the advantages and disadvantages of two different systems and taking into account the control of product quality; solvent environment, health, and safety issues; potential processing issues and throughput; waste disposal; cost; and solvent life cycle.(c) Participants plan the commercialization of a hypothetical green solvent, consider how to position the product in the marketplace, and develop a strategic marketing plan to pitch to the rest of the workshop. (d) They then go on to examine and appraise various real-world trials and pilot studies. etc.
Systems thinking is encompassed by the problem solving that needs to be applied in order to meet various end user requirements, with the changing of one aspect having secondary effects with others.
Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The paper deals with systems thinking, sustainable manufacturing (sustainable development) and complex systems.
Authors define systems thinking as the ability to analyze and optimize complex and interlinked systems while understanding how one action can result in multiple changes over time. Systems thinking encompasses understanding of the interdependence of the components of systems at work and facilitates a greater, more integrated understanding of related subject matter as opposed to teaching disparate concepts.
They also mention that “systems thinking in the business case shows the impact of moving from a linear to a more circular economy approach, from the simple and mundane through to the complex or radical benefits for the triple bottom line: moving from showing progress, building confidence, and raising the company profile through to creating ambition, yielding rapid advances, and fostering long-term thinking”.
The paper discusses about the sustainable manufacturing approach and it points out that sustainable manufacturing will enable economic growth to be combined with environmental and social sustainability and will be realized via collaboration between a multidisciplinary community including chemists, biologists, engineers, environmental scientists, economists, experts in management, and policy makers.
Authors use the term “complex systems” to define systems thinking as “systems thinking is the ability to analyze and optimize complex and interlinked systems while understanding how one action can result in multiple changes over time”
