Industrial Ecology as a Source of Competitive Advantage Yale Center for Industrial Ecology

Andrew Mangan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), spoke at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies on Wednesday, March 6, 2014. The talk, "By-Product Synergy as a Competitive Strategy: Creating Value through Resource Reuse," is organized by the Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Program.

In its 23rd year, the IEM Lecture Series brings speakers from companies and organizations to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies to discuss the relationship between business and the environment. This year, the lecture series explores Industrial Ecology as a Source of Competitive Advantage. Concepts such as loop-closing, by-product exchange, and sustainable supply chain management and tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis are characteristic of the field of industrial ecology. The lecture series brings business executives to campus to discuss how their use of these approaches affects their company?s strategy, profitability, and position in the market.

The US BCSD is a regional partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global network of 200 international companies, with members representing 30 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. The US BCSD pursues sustainable development projects focusing in five areas: By-Product Synergy; Business, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services; Energy Efficiency in Buildings; US-China EcoPartnership; and Water.

Mr. Mangan provides strategic leadership and oversight on the US BCSD?s projects and is an active member of the Education Committee for the International Society of Industrial Ecology, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Environmental Science Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and serves on the board of the Foundation for Sustainable Development. He holds a master?s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he attended the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs as an International Fellow.

Ongoing funding for the IEM Lecture Series is provided by the Joel Omura Kurihara Fund. For more information about the lecture series, please see http://cie.research.yale.edu/events/about-iem-lecture-series or contact us at cie@yale.edu

Preserve is a consumer goods company and producer of 100% recycled plastic products. The company collects and processes used polypropylene #5 plastics to make personal care, tableware and kitchen products. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Preserve has partnered with prominent brands such as Stonyfield Farm, Tom's of Maine, Brita, Burt's Bees and Whole Foods to take-back used packaging and convert it into recyclable consumer products.

Eric Hudson, Founder and CEO of Preserve, speaks about leveraging product-take-back programs to promote sustainability and closed-loop production systems, joined by John Lively (Director of Environmental and Material Science).

Chris Yura, Founder and President of SustainU, was invited as a guest speaker to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies as part of the Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Lecture Series. The theme for 2012-2013 is "Industrial Ecology as a Source of Competitive Advantage." Mr. Yura's innovative sourcing of waste fabrics provides a compelling story of future changes in the garment industry.