In a recent episode of the Integrate Intelligently Podcast, Cindy Bratel from Baker Tilly Digital Services shared her expertise on how sustainability is reshaping manufacturing. As the leader of Baker Tilly's IFS Solutions global practice, Bratel brings over 30 years of experience spanning IT, consulting, and manufacturing operations. Her insights offer a roadmap for manufacturers navigating the sustainability transformation that's reshaping the industry.

1. SUSTAINABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY ARE FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMING MANUFACTURING

Key Takeaways:

• Manufacturing is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by technology and sustainability concerns
• Even the smallest manufacturers now operate in a global context with complex regulatory environments
• Supply chain resilience has become a critical factor following pandemic disruptions

"Manufacturing is really going through a fundamental transformation right now, primarily driven by technology, but also sustainability concerns... our customers are getting smarter and smarter and more demanding every day."

2. MODERN MANUFACTURING MUST TRANSITION FROM INFINITE RESOURCES TO RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

Key Takeaways:

• Historical production systems treated resources as infinite with acceptable waste
• Today's approach recognizes resource depletion and emphasizes sustainability
• There's a growing recognition that we need to preserve resources for future generations

"Historically, production systems really treated resources like they're infinite, right? And there was a lot of waste that was just acceptable and inevitable. But there's a major shift now in people's thinking about we have to lead with sustainability practices and not having a negative impact on our environment and on our world."

3. CIRCULAR MANUFACTURING REQUIRES A COMPLETE RETHINKING OF PRODUCT DESIGN

Key Takeaways:

• Circular manufacturing focuses on reusing components and materials
• The process begins with product design and engineering decisions
• Success requires a fundamental mindset shift throughout the organization

"When you think about circular manufacturing, you're really enabling high usage control of reused components. It starts with R&D and the engineers—that's where it begins, with the mindset and thinking about how to build products that can use raw materials that can be reused in the next manufacturing cycle."

4. SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES CAN DRIVE PROFITABILITY WHEN PROPERLY IMPLEMENTED

Key Takeaways:

• Many practices that were once purely profit-driven align perfectly with sustainability
• Recycling valuable components and materials serves dual purposes
• The activities are the same, though the motivations may have evolved

"At Dana Corporation, we used to recycle what we called cores, we could reuse them. We also built oxygen sensors that use platinum, very expensive precious metal, and we were able to recycle the platinum. The underlying driver was profitability, but the actions and activities that we took are the same processes that support sustainability today."

5. MODERN ERP SYSTEMS NOW OFFER POWERFUL TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT

Key Takeaways:

• Modern ERP systems like IFS now include dedicated sustainability modules
• Emissions tracking capabilities help organizations monitor environmental impact
• Sustainability dashboards provide visibility into key environmental metrics

"IFS has now introduced a sustainability management module that really simplifies reporting and management of your sustainability data. So kind of one central location to put your data, a catalog of KPIs that you can use and help yourselves kind of set long-term organizational goals."

6. QUALITY DATA MANAGEMENT IS THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESSFUL ESG INITIATIVES

Key Takeaways:

• Collecting and managing sustainability data is foundational to improvement
• Both quantitative metrics (emissions, energy) and qualitative measures (employee surveys) matter
• Without measurement, organizations cannot effectively manage sustainability initiatives

"Data is king these days. You don't know where you need to improve, how you need to refine your strategy, what you need to do better if you aren't even measuring it. So fundamentally data is just a very, very important baseline element to anything that you're doing around ESG."

7. THE SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH EDUCATION AND BASIC DATA COLLECTION

Key Takeaways:

• Begin with awareness and education about sustainability concepts
• Start collecting data even without sophisticated systems in place
• Develop processes for sustainability reporting and improvement

"It really starts with awareness and education. When we're starting with a client where they don't even know where to start, it really starts with helping them understand what it is. You got to start collecting. It doesn't matter whether you have the system or not, if you don't have any information."

8. GENERATION Z IS DRIVING CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH EMPLOYMENT CHOICES

Key Takeaways:

• Younger workers have different expectations about corporate environmental responsibility
• Job candidates now evaluate potential employers on sustainability commitments
• This generational shift is creating pressure for change beyond regulatory requirements

"The Gen Z group is very interested in sustainability and giving back and not consuming our precious resources. Maybe five years ago, interviewing individuals coming out of college, questions have changed in terms of what they want to know about. They want to know about your sustainability commitments."

9. THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN MANUFACTURING WILL BE MORE SUSTAINABLE AND AUTOMATED

Key Takeaways:

• Manufacturing returning to the US will not resemble traditional industrial models
• Automation and sustainability will be central to new manufacturing environments
• Workforce preferences and technological capabilities are driving this evolution

"The reality is you are not going to reopen steel factories that were built decades and decades ago. There is no technology and you aren't going to find the people that want to come back into those environments at the pace and scale that is needed. So automation and remanufacturing concepts and how do we make this more circular and a sustainable process is going to get pushed even harder and harder in the future years."

10. SUCCESSFUL MANUFACTURERS MUST TAKE CONCRETE STEPS TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY NOW

Key Takeaways:

• Begin by understanding your current environmental impact
• Implement systems for data collection and reporting
• Develop sustainability strategies that align with business goals
• Leverage technology to automate and scale sustainability efforts

"You've got to start collecting. It doesn't matter whether you have the system or not, if you don't have any information, can report manually and then hopefully we get you there through automation and other things as you continue to grow in the space of ESG."

As Cindy Bratel explained on the Integrate Intelligently Podcast, sustainability has become an imperative rather than an option for today's manufacturers. The transformation is driven by multiple forces—regulatory requirements, customer demands, economic benefits, and a new generation of workers with different expectations.

Manufacturers who embrace these insights position themselves to thrive in an increasingly competitive and environmentally conscious global market.

To learn more about Baker Tilly's IFS Solutions practice and ESG initiatives, visit BakerTilly.com or connect with Cindy Bratel on LinkedIn.