ABSTRACT
Until a few decades ago, the quest for ease, comfort, and better living standards of a large section of people in more and more economical ways has occurred at the cost of appropriation of nature. Natural resources have been treated as free gifts. Immediate profit or economic viability has been prioritized over conservation of the very environment that has given birth to and sustained life of all the living organisms including humans. Now, the resultant burning problems, such as global warming, climate change, and other pollution-related issues have shaken and awakened us to think of the environment while carrying out any activity, so as to leave the next generation with a sustainable future. The living system on earth is survived by the oxygen generated by the green plants. Many of our needs, such as food, clothing, furniture, etc., are also fulfilled with the materials from trees. Even the fossil fuel energy, that is getting exhausted to propel the current civilization within a few centuries since they had been first put to use, is actually the solar energy trapped in the plant and animal bodies, directly (in the case of plants) or indirectly (in the case of animals) with the help of photosynthesis for many years, million years back. Therefore, the activities that are significantly less polluting or having significantly high energy efficiency or linked to better sustainability through incorporation of “reduce-reuse-recycle” philosophy are marked as “green.” The term “manufacturing” can be briefly defined as a process of converting raw materials into a finished material good for human utility. In modern era, manufacturing processes, materials, and tools are different as compared to ancient times. One can enlist a few broad categories of manufacturing processes. However, it is hardly possible for anyone to present an exhaustive list of manufacturing processes. New manufacturing processes are evolving day by day, and while qualifying those based on comparison to other existing processes is a new criterion—Is the new process more environment-friendly? In other words, is the process greener? In a nutshell, the term “green manufacturing” is echoing in the academic research, industrial practice, government initiatives, and newspaper reports. Green manufacturing may refer to the use of green energy for manufacturing of products, use of renewable energy systems, and clean technology equipment. However, this chapter will try to qualify laser processing as a green manufacturing technique from the sustainability and environment-friendliness point of view.
