Material efficiency

Measuring and monitoring resource use is a key skill that all organisations should master, regardless of size or sector. It should be one of the first steps your organisation takes to improve its environmental performance. By regularly measuring and monitoring raw material use, you will start to...

What one company or sector considers a residue, byproduct or waste, another company or industrial sector only sees potential raw materials. More and more industries are trying to transform their waste into valuable resources. This can lead to a win-wins for both the waste generator and manufacturer...

Green labelling, also known as 'Ecolabelling', is a recognised scheme for businesses to communicate the environmental credentials of products they put on the market. The Ecolabel stimulates the market for green products and services, and promotes broader awareness of environmental issues. Green...

Companies can lower their environmental impact by using more sustainable office equipment including printers, office chairs, computer screens and so on. Using sustainability criteria, such as the appliance's energy use and how easy or hard it is to recycle or reuse parts of the product, you can...

Long history of sustainability on display Clever scheme to promote end-of-life product remanufacturing Almost no waste sent to landfill, and huge reductions in energy and water use Caterpillar is an American heavy machinery- and engine-maker with a strong brand and long history in remanufacturing...

Renting and leasing means that you can use a product without owning it. This can be favourable, for example if you only need a certain tool once, or if it is a complex tool that needs a lot of maintenance, it is most likely a lot cheaper to rent or lease it than to buy it. By not buying an...

Since the 1950s, clean-in-place (CIP) systems have been reliably used to clean inside surfaces of tanks and pipelines in liquid process equipment to avoid costly downtime associated with lengthy dismantling and cleaning tasks. The technique covers a variety of areas, but its main purpose is to...

Sharing an asset with other companies can be done when you are not using the asset for 100%. An asset can be anything that you use to make your business run: from an oven for catering services to construction equipment, from a car to a server computer. Any business faces variations in orders and...

Cutting waste in a systematic way will help SMEs to reduce cost and save material. A special waste-prevention plan will be very helpful in introducing such a systematic approach. It helps to understand where resources are used, where waste is generated, and to find and prioritise waste-reducing and...

Remanufacturing is the rebuilding, repairing or restoring of an end-of-life product or part to return it to like-new condition. Remanufactured products or parts should be backed by the same or similar level of warranty as new products. From a customer viewpoint, the remanufactured product can be...

Changes and improvements to production infrastructure can significantly reduce raw materials used, and related costs of storage, as well as boost manufacturing efficiency. According to McKinsey reports, companies should prioritise activities that offer the greatest potential benefit. Additionally...

Durable products designed with sustainability considerations, or ecodesigned, offer many advantages both to the company and the environment. Ecodesign takes into account the full life-cycle of products, from conception to design and development, to construction, packaging and end-of-life...