Teacher resources to help with lessons about sustainable manufacturing

Is your class talking about the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Many schools are incorporating the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their curriculum. The UN calls these goals “the blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet”. Since we’re a manufacturer, we’re covering Goal #12: Responsible Consumption and Production Patterns on this resource page. Read on to find content to work into your lesson plans about the environment, sustainable materials and even pandas. We hope your students find ways to connect with this topic and enjoy learning more about it.

Image source: sdgs.un.org/goals

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How products are made relates to the UN's Goal #12

Goal 12 is called Responsible Consumption and Production Patterns and directly relates to making products, which is what we do. We don’t have an endless supply of resources that are typically used to manufacture products, like steel, wood and plastic. The way we are extracting them, using them and discarding them is a problem. That’s why we are making products from sustainable materials like bamboo and recycled plastic lumber. See the infograph below for facts, figures and discussion topics about Goal 12 and download the full report that includes infographs and more about all 17 goals.

Image source: sdgs.un.org/goals

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How are we as a company contributing to achieving Goal 12?

We are eliminating all plastic from our packaging (we have almost reached that goal) and developing products that use sustainable materials like recycled plastic lumber and bamboo.  

Bamboo is a more environmentally-friendly material because it's a type of grass, so unlike trees, it grows back from its stump quickly and can be harvested many times—it doesn’t die after it’s cut down. When it grows it sequesters carbon making our air cleaner, whereas steel and plastic produce carbon when made, which contributes to greenhouse gases.

Another way that we are contributing to this goal is by making sure our source for bamboo is using sustainable farming practices. Our bamboo supplier is Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) certified. This ensures they uphold workers’ standards and environmentally responsible processes.

Did you know? Our Bamboo Teaching Easel produces 38% less carbon than our metal model?

 

 

For every bamboo product purchased, we will make a donation to conserve natural panda habitat through the World Wildlife Fund*.

Teacher resources and activities

Bamboo resources

Hands-on activites and more

Panda resources

More resources about the UN's Goal #12

Discussion topics relating to sustainable consumption: A target set by the UN (target 12.5) is "by 2030 to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse". Using the infograph above, discuss what a material footprint is, why your students think the increase in our footprint is happening and what can be done to reduce their material footprint. Part of target 12.5 includes electronic waste (e-waste). Discuss what e-waste is, such as: Broken toys with speakers and screens built into them Upgrading your cell phone and not disposing of it through trade-in programs When you break your ipad or tablet by accident and instead of repairing it, you buy a new one When your TV breaks, instead of repairing it, you throw it away and get a new one Another target set (12. 6) is to "encourage companies, especially large ones, to adopt sustainable practices and make it part of their reporting". Discuss why large companies need to shoulder a lot of the responsibility and what the term sustainable practices means. Goal descriptions source: sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12

* © 1986 Panda symbol WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund).
® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark.