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Life Cycle Management


3M is committed to managing the life cycle impacts of our products and developing solutions that can help our customers address their environmental challenges.

3M’s Life Cycle Management (LCM) Program places a focus on products throughout their entire life cycle, from manufacturing through customer use and disposal. In 2001, 3M adopted a new Life Cycle Management Policy requiring all business units to conduct LCM reviews for all new products and for existing products on a prioritized basis. With hundreds of new products introduced each year, 3M has a continuous flow of opportunities to significantly add to our environmental, health and safety progress. Life Cycle Management (LCM) is a formal part of 3M's new product introduction process worldwide.

Life Cycle Management Process

Cross-functional, new product introduction teams use a Life Cycle Management matrix to systematically and holistically address the environmental, health and safety (EHS) opportunities and issues over each stage of their product's life. 3M's LCM process focuses on the broader impact of products and processes over their entire life cycle:

  • from development and manufacturing

  • through distribution and customer use

  • to disposal

Developing the Next Generation of Environmental Solutions

Through 3M’s new Community of Practice "Solutions for a Better Environment," 3M’s research and development, technical, and marketing staff are working to develop and commercialize new products that have environmental advantages in the manufacturing stage and can help our customers address their environmental challenges.

For example, 3M’s Corporate Research Laboratory has an initiative to identify and drive the utilization of renewable materials as replacements for petroleum based polymers and monomers in 3M films, fibers, adhesives, molded products and more. The initiative is expected to reduce the environmental footprint of 3M’s products and help ensure a more sustainable, cost-effective source of supply as oil becomes scarcer and prices fluctuate.