3M’s vital sustainability agenda

3M’s vital sustainability agenda

The world has been facing a number of never-before-seen challenges due to serious consequences of epidemics, insufficiency of healthcare facilities, limited development of education and training, environmental pollution, and exhaustion of natural resources among others. These threats are all barriers to future development.

Sustainable development is a common mission for 3M, which can only be achieved with the companionship of customers, partners, and communities. Since 2018, 3M has focused its sustainable development strategy on three areas namely “science for circular, science for climate and science for community”.

The current economy is formed by the formula of buying, producing, and discarding, and where consumer culture drives production beyond demand. Rapid urbanisation leads to exhaustion of natural resources and serious environment pollution. Facing these issues, powerful groups have been starting to focus on reuse of resources by treating and converting scrap lines into input materials for manufacturing.

For the last two years 3M has committed that 100 per cent of new products must contain values of sustainable development. Thanks to sci-tech applications, 3M has made a number of improvements in recycling and building the cycles of using materials. It is a globally-influenced commitment as 3M products are available in over 200 countries and territories, and each year the sci-tech firm introduces over 1,000 new products to the market.

For instance, one already-popular product is the 3M™ Scotch-Brite® dishwasher, which is now completely made from recycled materials, of which 35 per cent is from used dishwashers.

Meanwhile, 3M Thinsulate insulation uses 100 per cent of recycled materials. In addition, the factory for this product also recycles 100 per cent of polyolefin plastic waste.

Impacts of climate change such as increased air temperature, flooding, drought, salinity, and unusual weather developments have seriously affected the business environment and the lives of every person. At 3M, all offices and factories in over 70 countries have set the target of totally using renewable energy sources by 2050.

This goal is already obtained at 3M’s headquarters in the US, where 100 per cent of energy use in the office is supplied from renewable energy.

Not only does that reduce emissions in the company’s operations, 3M is also working on solutions for the globe as a whole, making a positive impact on people’s lives.

One of the 50 most innovative products of 2018 as voted by Times Magazine is 3M’s 3M™ Smog-reducing Granules.

In the sunlight, the dust-absorbing powder coating covering the roofing sheets will quickly absorb all emissions passing through the surface, and then convert the exhaust into a readily-soluble salt compound which washes off naturally with rainwater.

In construction, 3M’s building insulation films can block 97 per cent of infrared rays, thus helping protect furniture and effectively save the electricity used for cooling systems. This product can also be a solution for offices and other buildings in Vietnam where hot weather and increasing electricity costs feature widely.

All of 3M’s goals are aimed to protect and ensure the future of sustainable development for the community. Therefore, each piece of scientific research at 3M is to solve the problems that have been and are likely to affect community life.

In addition to technology development efforts, 3M appreciates the effectiveness of building projects for knowledge sharing, improvement of technical expertise, and investment in development of young scientists, engineers, and knowledgeable workers so as to create a greater source of power around the globe. This is the foundation for the community to maintain a consistently high development in the future.

In Vietnam, 3M has helped improve the skills of doctors through sponsorships, seminars with the world’s leading experts, and collaboration with the hospital of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy to design and build a central sterilisation unit in line with international standards.

Over recent consecutive years, 3M Vietnam has persistently equipped protective equipment as well as organised activities to improve case-handling skills for pupils at primary schools in the name of child safety.