Reuse of Materials

Helping the environment with “eco-friendly lunch boxes”

Submitted by Mathieu Régnier on August 18, 2009 - 12:07.

About

Associated Group(s):

Avec plaisirs traiteur / catering

Location:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Content

Summary:

Founded in 2001, Avec Plaisirs is a corporate catering company with over 60 employees that delivers business meals throughout the greater Montréal area. The company is affiliated with La Maison Traiteurs, a food services business group whose members include Agnus Dei Inc., a special events caterer, and Origine Bistro.

Thanks to owner David Carrier’s concern for environmental issues, Avec Plaisirs has introduced a number of measures to reduce the company’s environmental footprint and do more for the community. One of these measures, launched in 2008, is the “Ecofriendly Lunch Box”, which is made from 100% recycled cardboard and vegetable dyes. Not only is the box itself recyclable, but all utensils and food containers (the latter made from corn starch) can be composted.

The Ecofriendly Lunch box is based on the principles of “eco-design”, whereby the life-cycle of all the box’s components are taken into account: choice of materials, method of manufacture, transport, lifespan, waste disposal, etc. As mentioned above, the lunch box consists of biodegradable containers, dishware and cutlery; furthermore, contrary to most disposable and compostable packaging, the containers furnished by Avec Plaisirs are more solid and last longer. The company also offers biodegradable bags in which to dispose of the box, containers and utensils after the meal is finished.
Hoping to cut down on garbage and avoid wasting food, Avec Plaisirs tries to determine exactly how much food its customers require. In terms of nutrition, the company’s lunch box is aimed at providing healthy and balanced meals. Overall, sustainability is a primary concern for the company, and the lunch box has been designed with the following criteria in mind:
-Social sustainability: high-quality food = better health;
-Environmental sustainability: minimizing the lunch box’s environmental footprint and any waste produced;
-Economic sustainability: the product will help the company move into new markets.

Implementation:

After months of research and development, Avec Plaisirs was at last able to get its Ecofriendly Lunch Box off the ground. Doing so was difficult, but the company’s employees are proud to have overcome this challenge; if anything, working to make the lunch box a reality has brought them closer together.
When the company decided to move ahead with the project, it hired Pierre Morency of Nova Envirocom, a firm that specializes in environmental programs and waste management.
Avec Plaisirs also worked closely with renowned nutritional expert Isabelle Huot; this partnership has enabled the company to offer a menu full of nutritious and seasonal dishes all year long.

In undertaking its lunch box project, Avec Plaisirs decided to take a gradual approach, without cutting any corners. Carrier speaks of a philosophy that consists of “moving quickly at our own pace”, meaning that environmental initiatives are undertaken in keeping with the company’s rhythm and objectives.

By doing so, Avec Plaisirs has ensured that environmental concerns are integrated into the economic equation. In fact, it is with this philosophy in mind that all of its sustainability initiatives are implemented. Carrier and his team first check to see if a project is feasible and whether it will be beneficial to the environment and society. They also try to determine what returns the company will see on its investment (e.g., costs, employee involvement, improved brand visibility, etc.).

Challenges and Solutions:

During a presentation to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal on June 12, 2009, Carrier highlighted the importance of having sufficient “room for error” when implementing sustainable development initiatives. By this he means that a company planning to introduce a sustainable practice has to develop an organisational structure or corporate culture that allows for flexibility. Given that such practices are often innovative and the first of their kind, it is only through trial and error that a high-value and viable product or service can be developed. This is often easier to do for a company the size of Avec Plaisirs than it is for large corporations or government bodies.

However, this process has not always gone smoothly for Avec Plaisirs, and maintaining “room for error” has been crucial. For example, Carrier says the company at one point failed to meet one of the organic decomposition criteria for a certain certification it was seeking, and was therefore forced to begin all over again. He says it was important for him to obtain sufficient certification to ensure that the project was legitimate. It is likely that this episode was rather costly for the company.

In terms of production expenses, some items (such as utensils) cost approximately the same as those made of plastic or styrofoam, but others may be 10-15% more expensive. Everything depends on the volume ordered. The company says that it did not think customers would be willing to pay more, but it believed that the product would be sufficiently appealing to attract new customers.

Results:

The lunch box project has created a strong sense of belonging amongst the employees at Avec Plaisirs. The initiative has also bolstered its reputation and that of its sister companies. Customers appreciate being able to purchase a product with a low environmental footprint. Avec Plaisirs says in a press release that this initiative has even become one of its trademark products. The company has also become more prominent in Québec’s environmental community, which will no doubt lead to increased business.

Other Examples:

It seems that the practice’s component of rigorous life-cycle analysis has not been adopted by other businesses, which will thus allow Avec Plaisirs to position itself in Québec as a true leader in terms of sustainable growth. Other lunch box products on the market are often worthwhile with regard to the products they contain, but not necessarily in terms of packaging or manufacturing.

Other companies in Québec’s food and beverage industry that provide catering services, such as Capital Traiteur (Montréal) and Traiteur Fine Bouche (Estrie), now offer compostable dishware.

Java Green Organic Eco-Café, based in Washington, D.C., offers an “Eco Lunch Box Meal”.

In Vancouver, Savoury City Catering offers a range of services that are environmentally-friendly. The company supplies ceramic serving dishes, wicker baskets and utensils made of birch, the latter of which will biodegrade within 45 to 60 days. The same is true for the utensils provided by Avec Plaisirs, but they are not made of wood, which is more solid and appears to be of better quality than standard plastic cutlery.

Savoury City Catering is a member of Vancouver’s Green Table Network, an association of restaurant professionals working together with food producers to develop practical and concrete environmental strategies.

In response to growing demand from consumers, many caterers are now becoming socially responsible. One example is Buffet Insère-Jeunes Montréal, a catering company and bakery that also provides social and professional reintegration services. A member of the Collectif des Entreprises d’Insertion du Québec (CEIQ), Buffet Insère-Jeunes also offers a lunch box product. Another such company is Cuisine Collective Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, also based in Montréal.

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by Mathieu Régnier

Innovative graphic designers create floor coverings from “waste” materials

Submitted by Genie_star on May 14, 2009 - 11:49.

About

Associated Group(s):

Couper Croiser

Location:

Montréal

Content

Summary:

Couper Croiser is a design studio founded in 2006 by industrial designers François Palmer and Jean-François Rousseau. After realising that landfill sites and Écocentres actually contained a fair amount of new material, the two environmentally-aware entrepreneurs launched the company, whose mission is to take some of this material – namely, new carpet and rug remnants disposed of by manufacturers – and create something of value.

Carpet manufacturers generate hundreds of tons of leftovers each year, which in Québec account for 7% of all waste found in landfills. Palmer and Rousseau therefore decided to collect new carpet remnants from a major manufacturer in the province and use them to make “value-added” carpets and rugs. In doing so, the two designers adopted an “eco-design” approach.

Eco-design
The underlying notion behind eco-design is the incorporation of environmental concerns into the design of a service, good or manufacturing process. This approach retains traditional design criteria (e.g., quality, longevity, functionality, ergonomics, safety, etc.) and meets standard requirements regarding regulations, brand image, and so forth. However, eco-design also takes into account the potentially negative effects that a given product may have on the environment (e.g., resource consumption, air pollution, waste production, etc.). The design stage – i.e., before production has even begun – provides the best opportunity to lower costs and improve a product’s environmental profile. Proper lifecycle management (from the extraction of raw materials to the end of a product’s usefulness) will lead to better overall environmental performance. There is also an international standard that favours this kind of design: ISO 14062, “Environmental management: Integrating environmental aspects into product design and development.”

Implementation:

The idea of reusing carpet remnants led Couper Croiser to create an innovative product: the AJUSTÉTM modular carpet. The concept involves taking multiple asymmetrical carpet tiles and putting them together in various configurations. Similar to the products designed by InterfaceFLOR (www.interfaceflor.com), the added value of AJUSTÉTM carpets and rugs is the flexibility they offer (i.e., the many different shapes and arrangements that are possible).

To find a supplier of carpet remnants, Palmer and Rousseau simply contacted several carpet manufacturers and offered to collect their commercial leftovers. According to the designers, most of these companies want to reduce the amount of waste they produce and are therefore interested in seeing carpet remnants reused.

By adopting a graphic approach to design, the company offers consumers and homeowners a way to create individualized floor coverings by arranging carpet tiles in a number of different ways. There are four basic steps involved in using AJUSTÉTM modular tiles:

1. Collect the carpet remnants;
2. Sort through the remnants and store them;
3. Cut the remnants into tiles according to a given geometrical pattern;
4. Bind the edges of the tiles to prevent them deteriorating, and attach the carpet underlayer (made of recycled felt) and anti-slip pads using Velcro disks.

Challenges and Solutions:

Economic
Launching a company usually entails various financial hurdles, such as start-up costs, purchases, labour, promotion, and so on. To get Couper Croiser up and running, Palmer and Rousseau received financial assistance, training, advice, supervision, and other support from Québec’s “Support for Self-Employment” program, SAGE (Systèmes Avancés de Gestion d’Entreprises) and the local CDEC (Corporation de développement économique communautaire).

Suppliers
The Québec market is rather small and there are not many “green” suppliers in the province. Finding certain items and materials that are necessary for production, such as environmentally-friendly glues and carpet underlayers, can be difficult. Therefore, Couper Croiser has focused on improving environmental performance by ensuring that their modular carpets last as long as possible. Although they have yet to carry out a detailed lifecycle assessment, Palmer and Rousseau know which aspects of their product’s environmental profile need to be improved; other substantial obstacles include financial constraints and the difficulty involved in obtaining the abovementioned products. Research and development is ongoing; the two designers are always on the lookout for new ideas and they try to ensure that their suppliers measure up environmentally.

Visibility and Image
Promoting Couper Croiser requires a substantial investment of time and energy. Building a customer base and publicising the product demands considerable public relations work. However, when told that AJUSTÉTM carpet tiles are made of new material directly from the manufacturer, consumers are quite receptive and appreciate what the company is doing.

Results:

In 2008, Couper Croiser was awarded the “Prix de la relève” in the Prix Intérieurs-Ferdie contest, which recognizes interior design excellence in Québec. The prize illustrates that companies based on innovation and sustainability can indeed be profitable.

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by Genie_star

Industrial symbiosis in Kalundborg

Submitted by World Forum Lille on March 4, 2009 - 14:04.

About

Location:

Denmark

Content

Summary:

Industrial activities are natural resources guzzlers and induce some losses such as waste or liquid waste. Companies are aware of the losses and implement systems that can limit these losses or process them. But the process is often carried out at the end of the cycle and hardly favours reuse ; besides, it often induces a great quantity of waste on site (sludge from treatment plant, ashes from incineration plants).
Kalundborg city has implemented an Industrial Symbiosis Project to make the better use of losses and waste from its industrial park.

Favouring the development of synergies between companies and thus helping them reuse their residual products (steam, water, waste…) between them or with the community and reduce material losses in the consumption and production processes.

Implementation:

In Kalundborg, the industrial symbiosis focuses on three different areas : making the better use of water, saving energy and reusing waste.
This networking began in the 60s when Statoil refinery was founded. This company needed great quantities of cooling water and established exchanges with 3 other companies from the industrial park, that discharged water too. Gyproc, a plasterboard company, experimented the initiative, as it recycles gypsum the power plant produces, and uses the extra gas from the refinery to dry gypsum and plaster, the latter being energy-gazzling.
The cooperations between companies developped themselves gradually, as steam was provided by the power station to the refinery and Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical plant.
Thanks to quality acquaintances between all players of the network and in the framework of SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeable), Kalundborg industrial symbiosis is now a profitable and eco-friendly business model.

Results:

• The network gathers all needs and points out the adapted and cheapest solutions.
• There are savings on raw materials (oil, water).
• The return on investment was generated between 2 and 5 years.

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by World Forum Lille

Industrial waste recovery: Bois BSL’s SmartLog

Submitted by Mathieu Régnier on January 28, 2010 - 23:34.

About

Associated Group(s):

Bois BSL

Location:

Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada

Content

Summary:

Bois BSL manufactures finished wood for flooring. By reassessing its processes, the company found a use for its postproduction wood residue and developed the SmartLog, a packaged log made from compressed wood.

Since 2006, spinoff company BSL Énergie, which firmly believes that Nature does nothing futile (La nature ne fait rien d’inutile - its motto), has been the exclusive manufacturer of this star product.

Innovation, in depth

During the manufacturing process, the hardwood is shaved to eliminate roughness. The shaving residue is then recovered by Bois BSL and transformed into energy logs, which have been labelled pressed firewood logs by EcoLogo. In fact, SmartLogs are a solid biofuel made from the compressed sawdust and chips generated in lumber production.

The company is therefore able to reclaim 100% of the raw materials used to manufacture the flooring, and the process is a model of industrial waste recovery and maximum natural resource use. Bois BSL has created a new production cycle in which the outputs become the inputs in a new production strategy.

Implementation:

Even before the SmartLog, Bois BSL was already maximizing raw materials use – a fundamental strategy for President and CEO Gino Ouellet for whom innovation is key in order to remain a leader in the wood processing industry.

In fact, the company had to choose between wood pellets and artificial logs. Seeing as the pellets could only be used in special stoves, the logs became a more worthwhile option.

After establishing the availability of the wood residue, Bois BSL had to compare standard elimination costs to determine whether or not it was worth diverting the waste to manufacture a new product. Then, the 1999-2000 forest crisis slowed the market and trade. In one instance, a wood panel manufacturer stopped purchasing sawdust from Bois BSL, which ended up with a surplus. Given the high cost of landfilling or burning the residue, the company decided to find it a new purpose.

Feasibility and waste composition studies were conducted, and a recovery method was developed by a Bois BSL engineer in collaboration with other partners. Pilot tests and laboratory analyses were also carried out. With positive results in hand, Bois BSL then oversaw the design of prototypes for small-scale production and applied for a patent.

Results:

In enhancing its industrial processes, Bois BSL has curbed its waste of raw materials, the financial burden of warehousing and its environmental footprint. The benefits of the SmartLog initiative are therefore both economic and environmental.

SmartLogs are made from natural hardwood residue. They contain no polyethylene, chemical additives or paraffin, a hydrocarbon used in candles, certain artificial logs and as paper wax. SmartLogs limit creosote build-up in chimneys, release fewer fine particles and yield up to 35% more heat than standard logs.

Bois BSL consumes less energy in raw materials transport since its supply comes from the flooring plant situated in the same manufacturing complex. By the same token, the company has also reduced its greenhouse gas emissions.

The production line and finished product are quality-controlled, and Bois BSL was able to obtain an EcoLogo certification, which endorses ecological artificial logs that meet certain standards. Among other things, log manufacturers must ensure that no toxic sawdust, chipwood, plywood or painted, varnished or treated wood is used in production.

Other Examples:

Production waste reuse and recovery fit into an eco-industrial approach to enhance the efficiency of existing industrial processes and reduce their environmental impacts.

Boisaco, a lumber company in Haute-Côte-Nord, established a process to recover wood residue and began to manufacture energy-efficient pellets for household and industrial stoves. Boisaco also developed a partnership with Bois BSL, taking advantage of the company’s distribution network.

On another scale, multinational cement company Lafarge promotes the use of alternative products in its manufacturing process, reducing its raw materials consumption. At the Milaki plant in Greece, part of the industrial sludges are mixed with cement production materials.

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Refurbished Modular Office Furniture – an Economical and Carbon-Light Practice by Liberté, Facilitated by Réseau Bureatique

Submitted by Brenda Plant on November 30, 2009 - 10:31.

About

Associated Group(s):

Liberté

Location:

Québec, Canada

Content

Summary:

Liberté was founded in 1928 and began producing cream cheese and cottage cheese in it’s first location on the corner of St-Urban and Duluth, in downtown Montreal. In 1964, the company moved to Brossard, just off the island of Montreal, and grew it’s production to include yogourt. Having established it’s brand and reputation in Quebec, Liberté now offers over 100 products including various types of yogurts, kefir, cheeses, sour cream and tofu which are distributed throughout Canada and the United States.

In 2008, due to a lack of space in the former office space, Liberté had decided to move offices. They were moving from Candiac, Quebec to St Hubert, and the new offices were going to require new furnishings. While the new building is not LEED certified, much effort was put into greening the space, including a refrigeration system that uses the natural cold of Quebec winters, and office refurbished furnishings. The former office furnishings had been custom made and were not going to be transferable, in addition, more work stations were going to needed. They were looking for something that was standardized and modifiable. They settled on refurbished modular office furniture from Réseau bureautique, a decision that saved them significant expenses (40% less than buying new), and significantly reduced their overall carbon footprint.

Implementation:

At first, Liberté was thinking of buying new modular office furnishings for their new office space. They even looked at lower end desks and dividers, but found the disadvantage of that sort of solution was that there was no accompanying system plan that would allow for internet networks and the like. In addition, there would be no guarantee of the longer-term availability of the models chosen, and over time the office could end up looking pretty hodge-podge. It was decided that the higher-end furnishings were needed, perhaps even refurbished higher-end furnishings.

Liberté solicited 3 submissions from companies offering modular office furniture. They needed 28 workstations. Two of the companies offered new modular furniture, and one, Réseau bureautique, offered refurbished modular office furniture. The Coordinator of Sustainable Development at Liberté had heard the President of Réseau bureautique speak about their products at a conference on sustainability, which is why they were included in the request for submissions.

Liberté made the clear choice of going with the refurbished furnishings from Réseau bureautique. The decision was based on the cost, which came in at 40% less than buying new when the product quality and look were next to indistinguishable. The fact that this choice meant they saved 12 tons of greenhouse gas emission was a bonus.

Réseau bureautique came in with various layout plans; their products were very flexible and standardized, facilitating potential future changes and additions. Logistically, the Réseau bureautique solution worked very efficiently. The whole move was done over a weekend, and the offices had to be fully operational on the Monday morning. Réseau bureautique furnishings were pre-installed, and made that quick transition possible.

Liberté was offered a choice of materials with which the refurbished furnishings would be covered. The options included 100% post-fiber recycled fabrics. The ecological fabrics were priced at the same cost as the non-ecological fabrics, again, making the more environmental choice that much easier.

Liberté has since bought 4 new workstations and will soon be ready to buy more. They don’t even consider other suppliers anymore.

Challenges and Solutions:

The whole move was done over a weekend, and the offices had to be fully operational on the Monday morning. Réseau bureautique furnishings were pre-installed, and made that quick transition possible. Réseau bureautique came in with various layout plans, their products were very flexible and standardized, facilitating potential future changes and additions. Logistically, the Réseau bureautique solution worked very efficiently for the open space office area.

For the closed office spaces, there were not a lot of options in the refurbished office furniture, so in the end, 10 additional desks were purchased new for the closed office spaces at Liberté. This was nonetheless made easy by the fact that the same supplier, Réseau Bureautique also supplied Liberté with new, made-in-Quebec desks.

In the case of Liberté, there was no psychological barrier to buying refurbished furniture. The cost savings spoke very loudly, and the quality of the Réseau bureautique offering was as good as new.

Results:

The choice of buying refurbished modular office furniture from Réseau bureatique reslted in cost savings equal to 40% less than that which would have been spent on the equivalent furnishings from companies that offer new products.

Liberté now has a certificate from Réseau Bureautique that hangs in the front entrance of the office building attesting to the amount of carbon saved as a result of their decision to purchase refurbished over new. Employees are proud of the decision, and visitors are shown the certificate. This choice is also now mentioned in presentations on the company and the measures it has taken to become more sustainable.

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by Brenda Plant

Moving toward more sustainable printing and paper use

Submitted by Marie-Reine Roy on September 16, 2009 - 09:07.

About

Associated Group(s):

Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins

Location:

Montréal, Québec Canada

Content

Summary:

At the Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins, social, environmental and economic concerns have been and continue to be central to its mission. For 37 years, the Caisse has supported the development of the social and solidarity economy, and in recent years has worked hard to improve its environmental performance. The Caisse’s paper-management policy is one example of this, demonstrating what a company can accomplish when its employees work together toward a common goal.
The Caisse d’économie solidaire has made use of its leadership position to promote its environmental practices, both within the company and in the business community. For example, it has decided to use only paper made from 100% post-consumer fibres, manufactured by the Cascades Fine Papers Group, and has asked its printers to do the same.

Implementation:

Moving toward more environmentally-friendly paper use takes place on a number of levels; it requires the participation of all employees as well as greater involvement on the part of a select few.
First, it is important to choose the type of paper that best meets the criteria set out in an eco-responsible purchasing policy. The Caisse d’économie solidaire has chosen to use Cascades Enviro 100 paper, made of 100% recycled fibres, for both its internal and external communications. To ensure that its purchasing policy is as consistent as possible, the Caisse has asked its printers to use the same type of paper.
With regard to internal communications, the Caisse has purchased new equipment designed to cut down on non-recyclable waste. The credit union now has a number of “three-in-one” machines manufactured by Xerox that serve as fax machine, photocopier and printer. Containing parts that can later be recycled, the machines use solvent-free ink sticks – an important feature, since solid ink generates less waste – and print only “failed” fax transmissions. As well, the Caisse’s computers have been programmed to enable double-sided printing on special new printers. Overall, there has been a substantial improvement, given the fact that a large number of the credit union’s documents contain many pages. Lastly, a more recent effort involves taking documents in which the pages are printed on one side only and converting them into note pads.
For all of these changes to take place, credit union personnel must be trained and made aware of the necessity of cutting down on their paper consumption. Employees may readily agree that saving the planet requires effort, but putting this into practice and changing personal habits is no easy task. Key staff members have therefore been designated to ensure that new or negligent employees comply with the regulations and to resolve any technical difficulties that may arise while employees’ computers and work-stations are reconfigured. Trainers are also available to instruct personnel who may be unfamiliar with the filing systems on their computers.
Furthermore, the Caisse instructs all employees to avoid printing emails unless absolutely necessary, and there are permanent reminders encouraging them to “think green”. Any documents required for meetings are sent as Powerpoint presentations to the people concerned.
Regarding external communications, the Caisse promotes paperless communication by sending out a monthly electronic bulletin to the roughly one thousand members that have subscribed to it. In addition, the credit union plans to increase the number of subscribers to its electronic mailing list and thus reduce its paper consumption by 15%.

Challenges and Solutions:

Raising awareness among employees can be a rather long-term and arduous task, since habits developed over many years are hard to break. Therefore, to manage electronic documents as effectively as those made of paper, employees must attend training sessions and undergo individual monitoring. Frequent reminders are necessary, since the reflex to print everything returns easily. It is also difficult to maintain consistency, as demonstrated by the case of an employee who took it upon herself to collect pieces of paper printed on one side only and staple them together to create notepads that she then handed out to her colleagues. However, the practice unfortunately came to an end when the employee left the company. It is only normal that there will be occasional setbacks on the road to change, but the important thing is to stay the course.

Results:

The Caisse’s progress has also had an effect on its operating costs, given that 19% less paper was purchased in 2007, thanks in large part to double-sided printing and the fact that employees are encouraged to read documents on their computer screens and not print them out.

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by Marie-Reine Roy

Guitang Group: An Ecological Industrial Park

Submitted by World Forum Lille on February 4, 2009 - 10:01.

About

Associated Group(s):

Guitang

Location:

CHINA

Content

Summary:

Climate change, increasing prices of energy and raw materials are risks for companies. New business models such as industrial ecology are being developed to try to control these changes.
The Guitang group in China decided to implement a profitable, environmentally-friendly system that offers a competitive edge.

Becoming more competitive by building a business ecosystem to
optimize the circuit of the incoming and outgoing elements of the various production lines.

Implementation:

The Guitang Group grouped a number of plants together to develop an industrial ecology system in Guigang city. It aims at re-using the joint products from the various production lines and reducing pollution and costs for waste disposal as a result.
The complex includes: a distillery, a paper pulp plant, a toilet paper plant, a fertilizer plant, cement works, a power station and some affiliated units.

First, sugar cane from the farms is sent to the sugar refineries to make sugar. Some waste, such as residual juices or “bagasse” (fibrous residues from sugar cane) is generated by this production. This waste is sent to the alcohol plant and paper mill, respectively, to produce alcohol and paper. Then, the waste from the alcohol plant is sent to the fertilizer plant to produce fertilizers for the farms. Finally, rubbish derived from paper manufacturing is sent to the cement kiln to produce cement.

Results:

• 40% extra profits thanks to the recovery of waste, processed as a joint product

• Minimization of the quantities of external raw materials

• Reduction of costs for waste disposal

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by World Forum Lille

Waste Concern : Collecting and Recycling Waste in Dhaka

Submitted by World Forum Lille on February 3, 2009 - 20:09.

About

Associated Group(s):

Waste Concern

Location:

Bangladesh

Content

Summary:

Only half of the 3000t domestic waste from the inhabitants living in Dakha is collected by the city council. The number of inhabitants will have reached 19, 5 million inhabitants by 2015. It will be more and more difficult to find sites to bury waste, as the city keeps growing. In parallel, waste pickers (tokai) look for re-usable or recyclable elements they sell. This non-official channel shows waste utilization can be worth.

Solution: Showing that waste can be a resource.

Implementation:

The waste collection and recovery program, as implemented by Waste Concern, relies on the community-based system. This system provides the following three stages:

- Collection: domestic waste is collected from each home thanks to a rickshaw (a driver and two pickers), working for 300 to 400 homes. Each home has to pay every month a tax between 20 and 35 cents, covering the incomes of the driver and the pickers, as well as operating and running costs.

- Composting: the collected waste is brought to neighbouring composting plants, which are often located next to residential areas. Waste is sorted out into either organic waste, or recyclable or no recyclable materials. Organic waste is converted to compost according to an odorless method. Once ready and sorted out, compost is put in 50kilo bags and then sold. A plant produces between 500 and 600kilos compost a day and processes between 2 and 3t domestic waste. Six employees –most of them being women- do the work.

-Marketing: Waste Concern helps the communities sell their compost to fertilizer companies and tree nurseries (between US $2,50 and 4,50 for a 50kilo bag)

Each community has its waste management committee. Waste Concern offers technical help and training to help members manage process and preserve the on-going services. After a year of training, Waste Concern transfers the project to the community but keeps following it during 3 years. City councils and NGOs then consider it a model and try to do implement it themselves.

Results:

• The authorities asked Waste Concern to apply the system to 5 other areas in Dhaka in 1998.
• Waste Concern has been backed by the United Nations Development Programme since 1998.
• As a result of a growing demand in enriched compost, another composting plant is going to establish itself.
• A methane recovery industry was created.

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by World Forum Lille

Environmentally-friendly design enters offices with Steelcase

Submitted by World Forum Lille on February 3, 2009 - 19:47.

About

Associated Group(s):

Steelcase

Location:

France

Content

Summary:

Many businesses are faced with the problem of storing and disposing of obsolete office furniture. This was how Steelcase noted that more and more of its customers demanded specific answers on the environmental characteristics of their equipment: recyclability rate, management of furniture upon end of life cycle, composition of materials…

Developing office furniture falling in line with the environmental concerns of customers
Sharing this approach with all employees of the organisation

Implementation:

In 2000, in cooperation with the ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency), Steelcase International launched an environmentally-friendly design approach to create a range of office tables, and developed tools enabling employees to progressively incorporate environmentally-friendly design into their work approach. Solutions to improve the design of products were anticipated, suggested and validated during the early stages of the process, before manufacturing (marketing and design).

Steelcase turned to the University of Vienne, which had already developed a non-specialised, easy-to-use environmentally-friendly design tool - « Eco-pilot ». This system takes into account environmental concerns from the design stage of products with approximately one hundred questions, to rapidly identify potential actions. These collaborative efforts led to the development of a software program - « Eco-design » - specific to Steelcase. At the same time, the « Material sector » software program made it possible for designers to have a materials database with their key environmental aspects. These decision-making and training tools are all available over the Intranet site of the company.

Apart from the development of these operating tools, the organisation cooperates with a Danish company to carry out thorough analyses of the life cycle of products that are developed to produce « environmental profiles », i.e. environmental identity cards for products.

Results:

• Technological advances

• Niche positioning; the company meets customers’ expectations

• Pride to serve the company and engagement towards a project that enhances cohesion.

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by World Forum Lille

Roquette makes "100% reuse" a concrete target

Submitted by World Forum Lille on February 3, 2009 - 14:02.

About

Associated Group(s):

Roquette

Location:

France

Content

Summary:

Roquette is a French company that extracts starch from agricultural raw materials. The company has been striving to diversify its sectors for many years:

The ‘100% reuse’ is the business philosophy. This approach aims at re-using the waste as much as possible, either by creating value from it, or by recycling it.

Implementation:

-Reusing all corn-based products, including by-products: ex. for maize:
-Reusing biomass; all extractions and chemical transformations of Roquette products are carried out with water. The Lestrem-located water treatment plant processes 65t a day of COD (that is to say the equivalent capacity to that of a city of 650,000 inhabitants). The residual biomass is spread on the fields thanks to a great partnership with the farming industry, according to a very strict regulation.

- Recycling: wood, paper, board, plastics, batteries, specific chemicals such as catalysts, scrap iron and glass, are recycled through various reuse chains with recognized sub-contractors.

Results:

• This determination to reuse each by-product contributes to Roquette’s profitability and to its development.

• The company conveys a positive image . It contributes to its good integration in the neighbourhood.

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