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Research and design from a sustainable standpoint is key to the growth in China of 3M, a leading diversified global conglomerate, maintains a top executive with the US company.
Gayle Schueller, 3M's vice-president of global sustainability, said sustainable development helps the company grow in the long run.
"Sustainability, in my understanding, is an appropriate balance between environmental, social, and economic issues. It is a kind of development that allows us to develop in a way that can also meet our future generations' needs," Schueller said in an interview with China Daily. "It is important to us because it guides us on how to manage materials, use water, improve energy efficiency and air quality, care about people."
Founded in 1902, 3M manufactures a wide range of products, including electronic materials and medical and industrial products. As a company that has been around for more than 100 years, its products and applications are vastly different from a century ago, and so the company needs to make sure it is relevant to the environment and the people who use its products, Schueller said.
Schueller said sustainability is in the diversified technology company's fiber and crucial to its future.
"Sustainability is embedded in every aspect of our business, including the products we make and how we market them," she said.
Many of 3M's products are developed and designed around those issues. In China they have pursued innovation based on the country's specific environment.
"We look at waste reduction, energy reduction, greenhouse gas emissions, water, all different types of pollution prevention. And we track the impact of it both from a financial perspective and an environmental perspective," she said. "Taking the current smog situation as an example, you can see a lot of people have chosen to wear 3M respirators and learned about the proper fitting of them. It means opportunities for us but, more important, I'm glad to see we are able to help people improve their lives."
Schueller said water purification is an example of a fast-growing business.
"One of the programs we have recently launched in China is all about residential water. Water is the No 1 concern of consumers globally from a sustainability perspective, and in China it's even more dramatic. Water is recognized as a global challenge with only local solutions."
Schueller gave an example of the company's recent innovation, Pipe Renewal Liner, which helps improve water quality and service life of existing potable water pipes. The quick curing polyurea formulation allows lined sections to be returned to service 90 minutes after application.
She said 3M Scotchkote Liner 2400 allows customers to cover corrosion, deal with water issues and pinhole leaks in water pipes and quickly return them to service.
"In China, the technology has been utilized to renew water pipe in some urban area of Shanghai, and got good feedback," she said.
The company set up shop in China 30 years ago and over the years 3M China has become the US company's largest operation overseas, with 11 manufacturing bases, 12 subsidiaries, 27 offices, one research and development center and four technical centers across the country.
Sustainable development is the company's lifeblood, but corporations alone can't solve the problem. Schueller said a strong partnership between government, thought leaders, and non-governmental organizations is another key factor.
The company works with the State Administration of Work Safety to consult on the safety of workers, especially miners. On the philanthropic front, it forged a formal partnership with The Nature Conservancy when the 3M Foundation established an environmental giving platform in 2001. Since then, 3M has donated more than $21 million to The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.
yangyao@chinadaily.com.cn
3M China General Office at Maxdo Center in Shanghai. Provided to China Daily |
(China Daily USA 11/04/2014 page3)
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