Tips for Reducing Waste in Business Processes

Packaging accounts for 140M+ tons of waste each year. Here are actionable strategies my team has explored with clients to optimize packaging and save costs: First, we start with a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) to identify the environmental hotspots and the most relevant actions to take. That analysis may lead us to many of the actions below. 1. Reduce Material Usage • Lightweight Materials: Use thinner and lighter materials that still provide adequate protection. • Minimal Packaging: Evaluate packaging design to eliminate unnecessary layers and excess space. 2. Use Sustainable Materials • Recycled Content: Opt for materials that are made from post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content. • Compostable/Biodegradable Options: Use materials like paper, cornstarch, or bioplastics that decompose naturally. • Renewable Resources: Incorporate plant-based materials like bamboo or hemp. 3. Design for Reuse and Recycling • Single-Material Packaging: Avoid mixing materials (e.g., plastic and metal) to make recycling easier. • Clear Labels: Mark packaging with recycling symbols and instructions to guide consumers. 4. Adopt Circular Economy Principles • Take-Back Programs: Offer incentives for customers to return used packaging for reuse or recycling. • Closed-Loop Systems: Work with suppliers to reclaim and reuse packaging. 5. Choose Responsible Suppliers • Source materials from suppliers that practice sustainable harvesting and manufacturing processes. • Ask suppliers to supply carbon and waste data associated with the packaging they provide. 6. Monitor and Adapt • Conduct Audits: Regularly analyze the environmental impact of your packaging. • Gather Feedback: Engage customers for suggestions on improving packaging. • Stay Updated: Keep abreast of advancements in sustainable packaging materials and technologies. https://lnkd.in/gTbkH_HM

Home Solutions Are Great, But What Can I Do About Food Waste at My Business? 🤔 At your business location, there are a number of ways to minimize waste going to landfills. And - they don’t need to be complicated! Here are some options you might consider, both on-site and off-site: 🌱On-Site Options 🌱 Composting: Implement a composting program to convert organic waste into valuable compost. This can be used to enrich the soil on your premises or be given away or sold to local gardeners and farmers. Anaerobic Digestion: Invest in an anaerobic digester to break down your organic materials. This process not only reduces waste but also produces biogas that can be used as a renewable energy source. Animal Feed: If your organic waste is suitable, you can process it to be used as animal feed. Collaborations with local farms or zoos can be beneficial. On-site Treatment Technologies: Explore smaller-scale technologies that can treat organic waste on-site, such as dehydration or composting machines designed for commercial facilities. 🌱Off-Site Options 🌱 Industrial Composting: Partner with a commercial composting facility that can handle large volumes of organic waste. This is particularly useful if you generate more waste than you can process on-site. Waste-to-Energy Programs: Engage with facilities that convert organic waste into energy. This helps reduce landfill use and can generate electricity or heat. Donation Programs: Establish connections with local food banks, shelters, or community centers where edible food can be donated. This reduces waste and supports your community. Recycling Programs: Participate in or develop programs aimed at recycling specific types of plant materials, such as wood or fiber recycling. 🌱What else to consider? 🌱 Assessment of Waste Streams: Regularly assess the types and quantities of waste your business produces to optimize the waste management strategy. Education and Training: Train your staff on proper sorting and reduction techniques to minimize contamination and ensure the success of recycling or composting efforts. This can be a fun game setup vs. boring rules! Collaboration and Partnerships: Work with other local businesses, government agencies, or environmental organizations to find synergistic waste management solutions. Implementing any of these practices can significantly impact reducing landfill waste and promote sustainability.  It is also a great way to engage with your employees and your community. There is even potential for additional revenue streams or cost savings for your business! #makecompostmainstream #sustainability #makeyourimpact

The waste of "overproduction" goes beyond simply manufacturing in excessive quantities. It can also mean producing or performing tasks prematurely, before the next stage in the process, (i.e., the customer!), actually needs it. In manufacturing, overproduction will often show up as Work in Progress (WIP) buildup before the next process step, and/or as excessively high finished goods levels. This makes it fairly easy to spot. However, in office environments, identifying overproduction can be more challenging. Ask yourself… have you ever been asked to prepare a report before you had the right data and information to complete it, or to write a proposal before the customer asked for it? While working ahead may appear to be proactive, it can actually lead to a lot of wasted effort and overproduction. Many organizations invest substantial time generating unnecessary work, such as designs, project plans, proposals, quotes, and contracts, preemptively preparing for *anticipated* customer needs… that often never materialize into *actual* customer needs. Although some will argue that this approach can enhance responsiveness, what it really does is to conceal process inefficiencies with excessive and wasteful activities. This ultimately results in additional costs for clients and customers, which unsurprisingly, they would prefer to avoid! So, how can you address this issue? 1) Challenge requests for early/ preemptive work by proposing process improvements to shorten turnaround times instead. 2) Proactively work to improve your processes during non-“urgent” periods to reduce lead times, eliminating the need for “early” work. Understand how much time will (really) be required for tasks, so that you can plan accordingly and respond promptly. 3) Monitor and highlight instances of waste, quantifying the time spent on unnecessary tasks. Investigate instances where proposals or projects were unsuccessful due to premature actions, emphasizing the importance of thorough understanding and tailored solutions instead of rapid-fire, cookie cutter approaches. 4) Educate colleagues on the complexities of the work your team does, so that they can understand why non-repetitive tasks may take more time to complete. Continue to invest in refining and improving processes for better outcomes. I’d love to hear your ideas for how you have tackled this!