At a glance

Tunley Environmental has released an updated Guide to Sustainable Manufacturing, offering advice to manufacturers on reducing environmental impacts and improving efficiency amid rising costs and complex supply chains. The guide, updated in October 2026, helps businesses understand their environmental impacts, address sustainability challenges, and respond to customer demands for verified sustainability data. It includes recommendations on energy efficiency, materials, supply chain transparency, and regulatory compliance, aiming to balance environmental goals with profitability.

Tunley Environmental’s updated Guide to Sustainable Manufacturing offers helpful advice on reducing environmental impacts, improving efficiency and responding to customer requests for sustainability evidence.   Tunley Environmental has launched an updated edition of its Guide to Sustainable Manufacturing, helping manufacturers tackle sustainability challenges alongside rising costs, tight margins and complicated supply chains.   Updated in October 2026, the guide brings together helpful recommendations for businesses seeking to understand their environmental impacts and decide where to focus their efforts. It addresses common challenges, including energy-intensive production, limited visibility of supplier emissions and growing requests for verified product data.   For manufacturers, sustainability questions increasingly arise during tender submissions, customer audits and procurement discussions. Providing useful answers requires an understanding of how products are made, where their environmental impacts occur and what evidence supports any claims.   The updated guide explains how manufacturers can build that understanding through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and Business Carbon Assessments. It explores how findings can inform material choices, product design, supplier engagement and emissions reduction plans.   A framework of six core pillars helps readers connect sustainability with day-to-day manufacturing strategy. These cover energy efficiency, materials and product design, resource optimisation, supply chain transparency, cleaner technology and verified reporting.   Recognising the pressure to balance environmental targets with profitability, the guide encourages manufacturers to establish a baseline, prioritise achievable improvements and assign owners, budgets and timescales to projects. Recommendations range from upgrading equipment and recovering heat to reducing production rejects and incorporating sustainability criteria into procurement.   The publication also introduces regulatory and reporting topics relevant to manufacturers, including EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM), sustainability reporting and environmental claims. It encourages readers to distinguish between applicable legal duties, customer requests and voluntary commitments.   Produced by Tunley Environmental, a science-based sustainability consultancy, the guide also considers nature, water and resource use, helping businesses look beyond carbon when planning their next steps.   The updated Guide to Sustainable Manufacturing is available to download here: https://www.tunley-environmental.com/a-guide-to-sustainable-manufacturing?utm_campaign=6690568-Carbon%20PR%20Advertising&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=public_relations&utm_content=manufacturing_guide

Editorial insight

Manufacturers continue to face a complex mix of commercial and regulatory pressures as sustainability becomes a routine consideration in procurement, supply chain management and reporting. While many businesses are already working to cut emissions and improve efficiency, growing demand for reliable data and evidence has made it harder for firms to demonstrate progress and respond to customer scrutiny.

Guidance that helps manufacturers navigate these challenges remains in demand, particularly as new rules on carbon reporting and product declarations come into force in both the UK and EU. For businesses seeking practical steps, clear frameworks and up-to-date information, resources like this guide can help bridge the gap between regulatory expectations, customer requirements and day-to-day operational decisions.

Story ideas and journalist angles

Regulation

Impact of Sustainability Regulations on UK Manufacturers

Investigate the implications of the updated sustainability regulations and reporting requirements, such as the EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms, on UK manufacturers.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 7/10 Economic impact

Balancing Sustainability and Profitability in Manufacturing

Explore how manufacturers are dealing with the dual pressure of achieving sustainability targets while maintaining profitability amidst rising costs.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 6/10