EDITORIAL: Smart engineering for sustainability

Sustainability extends beyond just decarbonization. A term popping up more and more in executive and engineering-focused presentations is “circular economy,” referring to a closed-loop production cycle that seeks to minimize resource inputs and reduce or eliminate waste and emissions.

Case in point: Rob Zemenchik, CNH Industrial's Sr. Manager for Product Sustainability, said at the SAE COMVEC conference in September that the company specifically seeks projects that deliver on circularity in the product life-cycle. CNH Industrial's roadmap to hit its 2030 and 2050 climate targets includes more than 150 specific projects, ranging from powertrains to hydraulics, he said. One of the “early success stories” is its work with British company Bennaman on an on-farm liquid fugitive biomethane production process.