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Paul S Phillips - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Evidence for Waste Minimisation clubs and business support as interventions to promote Waste prevention
The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management, 2012Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, David Parker, Helmut Sengstschmid, Vanessa FandrichAbstract:The Business Waste Prevention Evidence Review (Project WR1403) is a major Government funded project, in England, to map and collate available evidence on business Waste prevention so as to guide future policy development. The total number of reports and documents reviewed was 971. The prime focus of research was the UK with 306 reports, but around one third of the reports (142) were sourced from outside the UK including USA, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Finland as well as OECD and pan-European communities. Some 6 illustrative `sectors` were chosen for review and 8 types of interventions were examined. Central interventions include attitudes and behaviour in business and interventions by external funders as well as approaches taken to Waste prevention. The Review has made clear what is known about the success factors for business Waste prevention. Despite over 15 years of activity in England in business support for Waste prevention, often through Resource Efficiency Clubs (RECs), there are still large gaps in knowledge, about barriers and success factors that require detailed research in areas such as RECs and business support. The Review occurred, in a period of financial constraint and there is a clear need to rationalise business support, via Best Practice Programmes, essentially for cost savings. The funding support for key Best Practice Programmes has been reduced by over 80% and not replaced with anything comparable in scope and size. This is at a time when very significant potential financial savings, from no or low cost resource efficiency actions in businesses, have been made apparent; being up to £55 billion per annum. This Review provides the evidence base required to stimulate new and dynamic approaches to funding business support for Waste prevention so as to move towards achieving a high proportion of the potential savings.
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driving commercial and industrial Waste reduction in queensland australia the potential application of a uk Waste Minimisation club model
The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management, 2009Co-Authors: Georgina Davis, Paul S Phillips, Thomas CoskeranAbstract:Queensland (QLD) is the second largest state in Australia with an area of 1,734,157 km2 and a population of some 4,132,000 (less than 20% of Australia’s total population). The majority of QLD’s population is located in the South East (SEQ) region around Brisbane and the Gold Coast with further population densities along the coast. SEQ is growing rapidly, with SEQ receiving over 1,000 new immigrants (both interstate and international) to the region every week, which is stimulating the housing, retail and commercial and industrial sectors. This growth in population and development is leading to an increase in Waste arisings across all sectors. During 2005, QLD generated approximately 444,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial Waste, with only 23,000 tonnes being recycled, equating to only 5% of the amount generated. By comparison, during 2005 the UK generated 83 million tonnes of commercial and industrial Wastes of which approximately 45% was recycled. QLD has a suite of environmental and specific Waste management legislation relating to the management of all Waste streams which adopts the Waste management hierarchy. The regulatory framework of any State or Country can if well designed drive sustainable Waste management practices within the commercial and industrial sectors. Waste Minimisation clubs (WMCs) were initiated in the 1990s in the UK in order to assist commercial organisations minimise their Waste streams and identify re-use and recycling opportunities, including e.g. Waste exchanges. WMCs have been an important demonstration opportunity for companies to grasp the benefits of the sustainable management of commercial and industrial Wastes as well as the possible adoption of cleaner production through new technology. This paper reviews the trend of WMCs in the UK and discusses their potential application to QLD. It explores the drivers and barriers for such implementations within QLD, including the absence of a landfill levy and legislative barriers. The paper also discusses Australian government initiatives for improving resource efficiency within industry, and the benefits and limitations of these schemes. Case studies from the UK are then provided to ascertain the opportunities for possible WMC development in QLD
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A critical appraisal of the UK's largest rural Waste Minimisation project: business excellence through resource efficiency (betre) rural in East Sussex, England
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2008Co-Authors: Janette Ackroyd, Suzanne Jespersen, Alice Doyle, Paul S PhillipsAbstract:Abstract ES betre rural was a groundbreaking Waste Minimisation project that was designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses in a rural area in East Sussex, England. The project had a strong focus on the smaller sized SME. Of the businesses that signed up and became involved with the project, 83% of the target database businesses were micro (
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an economic modelling approach to the design and delivery of sustainable Waste Minimisation clubs prospects in the new policy framework
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2007Co-Authors: Thomas Coskeran, Steve Smith, Paul S PhillipsAbstract:Since the early 1990s, Waste Minimisation clubs have been important sources of information for industry in the UK on clean technology and sustainable Waste management practice. Despite this contribution, concern has grown about the declining number of clubs, their performance and the likelihood that they will continue to play a key role in national policy. This paper examines the evidence available and provides estimates of how the numbers varied in England since the first clubs were formed. The results presented indicate that, after initial expansion, numbers went into decline. The paper then explores, using economic theory, why this pattern should have developed and suggests it to be a function of how clubs were designed and managed. The results of the analysis are used to propose alterations in how future clubs could be designed so that they continue to contribute effectively to the development of sustainable Waste management in UK industry. These lessons are of value to policy in both the UK and other countries considering the development of this important tool of Waste strategy. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for future research.
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a critical appraisal of an uk county Waste Minimisation programme the requirement for regional facilitated development of industrial symbiosis ecology
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2006Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Margaret P Bates, Richard Barnes, Thomas CoskeranAbstract:The UK Sustainable Development Strategy requires that society strive to make prudent use of natural resources so as to protect the environment and maintain high and stable levels of economic growth and employment. The Waste Strategy for England and Wales emphasises the need to reduce the amount of Waste produced through the adoption of Waste Minimisation methodology. Waste Minimisation clubs have been a key element in the UK programme to introduce more sustainable practice into industry and commerce. Northamptonshire, a county in the East Midlands of England, has benefited from 20 Waste Minimisation/resource efficiency projects, within a county programme, that have run between 1997 and 2004. This is the largest number in any county in England. This has been possible because of the formation of a large and inclusive partnership that contains all the key Local and Regional players. Performance Indicators have been developed to direct the county programme as it strives to introduce more sustainable Waste management practice. The Northamptonshire model has led to a catalysed uptake of sustainable Waste management practice in some 574 companies, some 13.4% of participating companies in England in same period, thereby contributing to the maintenance of stable levels of economic activity. However, an inherent limit has been reached with Waste Minimisation club provision. Future provision for resource efficiency must include the movement towards Industrial Symbiosis (IS) and ultimately Industrial Ecology (IE). The radical shift towards IS and IE will occur as a response to the increased quantification of the resource flows, in a given UK economic area, and the deeper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the systems.
Margaret P Bates - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a critical appraisal of an uk county Waste Minimisation programme the requirement for regional facilitated development of industrial symbiosis ecology
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2006Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Margaret P Bates, Richard Barnes, Thomas CoskeranAbstract:The UK Sustainable Development Strategy requires that society strive to make prudent use of natural resources so as to protect the environment and maintain high and stable levels of economic growth and employment. The Waste Strategy for England and Wales emphasises the need to reduce the amount of Waste produced through the adoption of Waste Minimisation methodology. Waste Minimisation clubs have been a key element in the UK programme to introduce more sustainable practice into industry and commerce. Northamptonshire, a county in the East Midlands of England, has benefited from 20 Waste Minimisation/resource efficiency projects, within a county programme, that have run between 1997 and 2004. This is the largest number in any county in England. This has been possible because of the formation of a large and inclusive partnership that contains all the key Local and Regional players. Performance Indicators have been developed to direct the county programme as it strives to introduce more sustainable Waste management practice. The Northamptonshire model has led to a catalysed uptake of sustainable Waste management practice in some 574 companies, some 13.4% of participating companies in England in same period, thereby contributing to the maintenance of stable levels of economic activity. However, an inherent limit has been reached with Waste Minimisation club provision. Future provision for resource efficiency must include the movement towards Industrial Symbiosis (IS) and ultimately Industrial Ecology (IE). The radical shift towards IS and IE will occur as a response to the increased quantification of the resource flows, in a given UK economic area, and the deeper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the systems.
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determining the drivers for householder pro environmental behaviour Waste Minimisation compared to recycling
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2004Co-Authors: Michele Tonglet, Paul S Phillips, Margaret P BatesAbstract:New mandatory household recycling targets present a serious challenge to UK Local Authorities. Public participation in Local Authority schemes is key to increasing household recycling levels, however, the most effective way to reduce Waste is to deal with it at source, through Waste Minimisation. Understanding Waste Minimisation behaviour is key to achieving sustainable Waste management and householder based projects which are theoretically underpinned by cognitive psychology and are promoted by carefully designed marketing/communications, over the long-term, should result in reductions in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Cognitive psychological modelling can provide the means to identify the driving forces behind recycling and Waste Minimisation behaviour, and in a given area determine the main likely success factors. Once these factors have been established, cost-effective campaigns can be designed to maximise the outcome. The Theory of Planned Behaviour provides a cognitive framework to understand and explain behaviour, and its use in this study has provided valuable insights into the factors which underpin recycling behaviour. The findings suggest that recycling attitudes are the major determinant of recycling behaviour, and that these attitudes are influenced firstly, by having the appropriate opportunities, facilities and knowledge to recycle, and secondly, by not being deterred by the issues of physically recycling (e.g. time, space and inconvenience). Previous recycling experience, and a concern for the community and the consequences of recycling, are also significant predictors of recycling behaviour. The findings also provide support for the proposition that recycling, Waste Minimisation through point of purchase and Waste Minimisation through repair or re-use represent different dimensions of Waste management behaviour, and thus will require different strategies and messages. It is suggested that Waste Minimisation behaviour is likely to be influenced by a concern for the environment and the community, and is likely to be inhibited by perceptions of inconvenience and lack of time and knowledge.
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corby Waste not an appraisal of the uk s largest holistic Waste Minimisation project
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2002Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Margaret P Bates, Kathy Holley, Nigel P FreestoneAbstract:Abstract The UK Sustainable Development Strategy requires that society makes prudent use of resources so as to protect the environment and at the same time maintain high and stable levels of economic growth and employment. Waste Minimisation projects/clubs have been a central feature of the UK programme to encourage the adoption of more sustainable practice by industry. More recently, it has been recognised that there is a requirement to link such industrial projects with those that encourage the general public to adopt more sustainable practice. A large and dynamic partnership of local and regional players has delivered a programme of some 17 Waste Minimisation/resource efficiency projects in Northamptonshire, a County in the East Midlands of England, since 1997. The projects have delivered impressive financial savings and training to over 300 companies, mostly SMEs. The Corby Waste Not (CWN) was a project, based within Corby Borough, Northamptonshire, which has the highest degree of deprivation in the County. It was a holistic Waste Minimisation project in that it initiated and integrated activities across the whole spectrum of the community. CWN was funded by some £ 148 380 of external funds and was managed by an extensive partnership that included all key local and regional organisations. Project outcomes were impressive by UK standards, the industrial/commercial developments alone resulted in savings greater than £ 250 000 for an expenditure of £ 35 000, making it one of the most cost-effective in the UK. Using theories of planed behaviour, the CWN management team introduced a number of other activities that have resulted in clear evidence of a marked improvement in relation to Waste issues by the community.
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national training organisations their contribution to Waste Minimisation in the uk
Environmental and Waste Management, 2001Co-Authors: Paul Anthony Clarkson, Margaret P Bates, Paul S PhillipsAbstract:National Training Organisations (NTOs) were introduced in 1998 as a method of increasing competitiveness by raising standards in education and training. By offering training at a variety of NVQ classifications targeting all involved in the business operation, they are ideally placed to deliver the Government's objectives of lifelong learning, set out in the Green Paper, 'The Learning Age'. However, business growth needs to occur in line with increasing environmental legislation, in response to the UK's commitment to the concept of sustainable development. As Waste Minimisation is a key component of sustainable development, acknowledged in the Waste Strategy 2000, it is important that NTOs raise the awareness of this issue and the potential savings that are available to their network of organisations. As a result of a confidential questionnaire sent to 65 NTOs, it is clear that most do not yet recognise the importance of developing Waste Minimisation practice within their sectors. It seems unlikely that NTOs can succeed in increasing sustainable competitiveness if they do not seek to introduce practices that reflect present environmental policy. NTOs need to ensure that senior management understand that environmental issues are not opposed to commercial success, but rather a tool which can drive competitiveness by limiting Waste, conserving resources and lowering costs.
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analysis of the role of Waste Minimisation clubs in reducing industrial water demand in the uk
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2000Co-Authors: Chris P Holt, Paul S Phillips, Margaret P BatesAbstract:As a result of the UK Government's Waste policy, which increasingly encourages sustainable development, and the realisation that water in the UK cannot be treated as an unlimited resource, there is growing interest in reducing the demand for water by industry. A series of industrial Waste Minimisation clubs have been set up within the country. This paper identifies the effectiveness of these clubs in reducing the demand for water. An overview of some of the clubs show how there is a major discrepancy between potential and implemented water savings, whilst a more detailed analysis of three specific examples show how water demand and cost to the company can be reduced, with the project paying for itself within around 1 year. It appears that companies are able to reduce water consumption by approximately 30%. If this level of saving was taken up by the entire industrial sector in England and Wales, water consumption could be reduced by approximately 1500 Ml/day. This reduction would be more significant in regions of lower rainfall, for example East Anglia and Southeast England.
Adam D Read - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a radical new proposal for delivering and financing Waste Minimisation clubs in england due to the loss of landfill tax credit scheme funding
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2004Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Nigel P Freestone, Mark Dempsey, Adam D ReadAbstract:Abstract Waste Minimisation clubs (WMCs) have been a major focus within the UK for the importation of sustainable Waste management into, mainly, industry and commerce. Waste Strategy 2000—Waste strategy for England and Wales—lays out the context for club contribution to national strategy. Waste production can be seen as a result of inefficiencies in production and management processes and this happens in many companies because of a knowledge gap. The role of Envirowise—UK Best Practice programme, specialising in clean technology and Waste Minimisation—is highlighted as a major contributor to driving sustainable Waste management in business, partly through WMCs. Early WMC development (1992 onwards) was based upon preceding developments from mainland Europe. Various models for club structure have emerged and these include; Demonstration, Facilitated Self-Help and Sectoral. Access to funding for WMCs is a key limiting factor for their formation, many recent WMCs had been funded by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS). The Government stated, during December 2002, that the LTCS had made a number of marked contributions to sustainable practice, however, it considered there was little evidence that it had delivered a step change; so Object C/CC would no longer be funded under the LTCS. From 2003 onwards, the UK lost the major funding source for sustainable Waste management research and development, including new and novel approaches to industrial/commercial WMC development. A model is proposed to reverse the decline in WMC development; a key step forward would be the formation of an Envirowise led forum along with industry, service providers, higher education and Waste Minimisation champions of proven worth. The forum would produce an Action Plan based upon the English regions; a similar approach could also be used with the Devolved Assemblies of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each Region would be allocated a provisional fund, by Central Government, to sponsor Envirowise appointed Waste Minimisation champions, who would liase with the Regional Development Agency and other Regional bodies to produce an Action Plan for WMC development, based on a Facilitated Self-Help model. This way, a wide range of local expertise and support will be recruited to the formation and management of WMCs, decreasing costs and increasing income leverage.
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business excellence through resource efficiency betre an evaluation of the uks highest recruiting facilitated self help Waste Minimisation project
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2003Co-Authors: Janette Ackroyd, Paul S Phillips, Ben Coulter, Adam D ReadAbstract:Abstract The business excellence through resource efficiency (betre) project aimed to increase awareness of the benefits of Waste Minimisation for SMEs in West Sussex, South East England. The programme was run by the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership, a collaboration of all West Sussex Local Authorities, the Environment Agency and EcoSys (a service provider). Betre provided a range of free business support and advice over an 18-month period including; workshops, newsletters, audits, grants and a technical Helpline. Information on environmental compliance and Best Practice for Waste Minimisation, recycling, energy and water efficiency was disseminated. All activities were linked with the UK government's Best Practice programmes. Although company recruitment was initially slow, betre was ultimately extremely successful at attracting companies to join; with 308 recruited. This is probably the most successful recruitment to a project, of this type, in the UK to date. Over half of the business members became actively involved and attended training events or had environmental audits. There were over 200 improvement actions identified by 64 of the participating companies. These resulted in estimated cost savings of at least £215 000 per annum. In addition, actions taken to prevent pollution and ensure compliance with environmental legislation have the potential to save businesses a further £204 000 in possible penalties. The environmental impact of the project has been significant, with reductions identified in Waste (1437 tonnes), water (62 933 m3) and energy (15 million kW h—equivalent to 668 tonnes CO2). In addition to actions with directly measurable results, betre has stimulated long-term benefits by addressing pollution prevention and compliance, through the formulation of environmental policies and from the adoption of Environmental Management Systems. One of the key learning points is that it may have been better to devote less time to running training events and instead to have diverted this time to increased business support, mainly through audits. To capitalise on this success, a new project is being planned to disseminate Best Practice.
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uk Waste Minimisation clubs a contribution to sustainable Waste management
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 1999Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Adam D Read, Anne E Green, Margaret P BatesAbstract:The UK Waste strategy is based upon the central concept of the hierarchy of preferable options for the treatment and disposal of Waste. Minimisation is placed at the top of the hierarchy and the Government seeks to encourage its uptake by industry and commerce as well as householders. It has been accepted that previous Waste management policy and practice have not delivered the hoped for movement up the hierarchy. Within the UK, landfill still predominates as the option most commonly used to deal with Waste. Movement towards more sustainable Waste management practice has been identified as a priority, in the UK, by the present Labour Government. To that end, they have recently produced a series of consultation papers on sustainable issues that set out their vision and confirm Waste Minimisation as a key strategy for the future. In an attempt to stimulate the uptake of Minimisation methodology by industry, Waste Minimisation clubs have been developed across the UK. There have been around 60 such clubs and they receive support and guidance from a range of organisations, including the Environment Agency and the ETBPP. These clubs have demonstrated that a significant reduction in Waste arisings can occur when Minimisation methodology is applied. Minimisation strategies often lead to improved resource efficiency and this is reflected in clear financial savings, e.g. the Leicester Waste Minimisation Initiative recorded mean savings, at the end of year one, of 0.26% of joint turnover. The median, however, better reflects the actual savings and it is apparent that even within a successful club there can be a wide range of performance by companies. Not all clubs have been successful and there has been little attention to the causes of failure in the UK. There are marked regional variations in club distribution and the proposed Regional Development Agencies, working with the Environment Agency, need to quickly establish strategies for Minimisation uptake.
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a regional perspective on Waste Minimisation a case study of the east midlands of england
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 1998Co-Authors: Paul S Phillips, Bethan Gronow, Adam D ReadAbstract:Abstract The UK Government's White Paper of 1995, `Making Waste Work', emphasises the role of key stakeholders in driving forward the widespread adoption of Waste Minimisation practice. Industry is challenged to meet a range of targets and have environmental management systems in place. The Government's contribution is underpinned by the activities of the Environment Agency and the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme. This article presents findings from a survey of Waste Minimisation developments in the East Midlands of England. Despite a national Waste strategy there are clear variations in the extent of Waste Minimisation developments across the region. The reasons for this are many and complex and a sizeable gap exists, in many cases, between policy and its implementation. Traditionally, the UK has employed a `top down approach' in which legislative decisions are taken at the centre and then executed within the constraints of the local context. The findings suggest that much greater consideration needs to be taken of local constraints if Waste Minimisation developments are to be successful. Well structured initiatives that have been rigorously planned and have utilised the available resources have proved very successful and significant financial savings and Waste reductions have been made. Surprisingly, few of the key environmental organisations surveyed had a Waste Minimisation policy. There remains significant barriers to the uptake of Waste Minimisation programmes, especially from Small to Medium Enterprises. A number of external funding sources have been utilised by projects but future funding will probably come from the participating companies. A wide range of supporting networks exist that could be utilised in the future. There is a need for an overarching, regional organisation to co-ordinate future developments so as to avoid duplication and efficiently use all available resources.
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english county councils and their agenda for Waste Minimisation
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 1997Co-Authors: Adam D Read, Paul S Phillips, Alice MurphyAbstract:Minimisation is the top priority of the Waste management hierarchy, which is one of the guiding principals for national solid Waste management planning throughout the developed world. As such it should be encouraged as a means for reducing Wastes which require treatment and disposal, whether they be household, commercial or industrial in source. This paper suggests that Minimisation is not being given the necessary policy frameworks or legislation within which to develop in the UK, and questions whether Minimisation is being afforded the respect and attention, from all levels, that is due the most preferable Waste option according to the hierarchy. This theme is investigated by surveying the county councils of England as a representative sample of Waste disposal authorities in England, and former Waste regulation authorities. They are responsible for guiding local and district Waste policy and are the regional Waste planners in the UK. If they are not seriously taking on board the message of Minimisation, then there is little chance that it will succeed without further legislative developments. Some 59% of English counties have a Minimisation policy, whilst only 47% have participated in and supported a Minimisation programme or trial within their region. The majority of these developments have occurred within the last three years, and 78% of counties who have participated in a programme have found it a successful venture. By 1999 79% of English counties will have been actively involved in a Minimisation programme in their region, which is a positive scenario. This trend must continue if Waste Minimisation is to become the key theme of future sustainable Waste management in the UK as was intended by declarations at the Rio '92 conference and in subsequent UK Government policy and strategy.
Janette Ackroyd - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A critical appraisal of the UK's largest rural Waste Minimisation project: business excellence through resource efficiency (betre) rural in East Sussex, England
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2008Co-Authors: Janette Ackroyd, Suzanne Jespersen, Alice Doyle, Paul S PhillipsAbstract:Abstract ES betre rural was a groundbreaking Waste Minimisation project that was designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses in a rural area in East Sussex, England. The project had a strong focus on the smaller sized SME. Of the businesses that signed up and became involved with the project, 83% of the target database businesses were micro (
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business excellence through resource efficiency betre east sussex Waste Minimisation programme
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2006Co-Authors: Janette Ackroyd, Louise Titmarsh, Ben Coulter, Abigail Dombey, Paul S PhillipsAbstract:The East Sussex business excellence through resource efficiency (ES betre) Waste Minimisation club (programme) aimed to increase awareness of the benefits of improved resource efficiency and achieve reductions in Waste, energy and water for SMEs in East Sussex, in South East England. The programme was delivered by EcoSys in partnership with the East Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership, a collaboration of all East Sussex Local Authorities, the Environment Agency and EcoSys. ES betre provided a range of free support and advice over a 2-year period including: 54 workshops, 6 newsletters, 30 environmental audits, 16 grants and 312 technical helpline enquiries. Information on environmental compliance and best practice for solid Waste Minimisation and recycling, energy and water efficiency was disseminated and activities linked with the government's best practice programmes, e.g. Envirowise, Action Energy and The Carbon Trust. Marketing activities were extremely successful in attracting businesses to join with 757 signing up, 60% of which then went onto become active service users. This is the most successful recruitment rate in the UK to date, making ES betre some 40 times larger than the average UK Waste Minimisation club. Excellent links with local business support/trade associations were built up and recruitment by personal recommendation became a feature. The project had a strong focus on smaller businesses (<250 employees). Of the businesses that signed up to the project, 56% were Micro (<9 employees) and 86% employed less than 50 employees (Small). The project reached 4000 local businesses regularly via newsletters and event mailings. Some 60% of the 757 businesses became actively involved and attended training events or had environmental audits. A total of 189 businesses identified improvement actions (1226) and of these, 123 businesses had implemented at least one improvement action by the end of the programme. These resulted in estimated cost savings of at least £263,000 per annum and just over half of these savings have already been achieved (March 2005). In addition, actions taken to prevent pollution and ensure compliance with environmental legislation will save businesses a further £297,000 in fines. These cost savings were larger than the cost of the project (£298,000). The environmental impact of the programme has been significant with reductions identified in Waste (1915 t), water (17,352 m3) and energy (1.2 million kWh). The savings quantified are thought to be conservative as it was found that many Micro and SMEs did not measure the impact of their actions. Previous experience indicates that, for projects involving smaller companies, cost savings are likely to be underestimated by at least 50%. As well as making it difficult to measure outputs, this lack of measurement means it is harder to demonstrate the need for change with the benefits of improved practice.
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business excellence through resource efficiency betre an evaluation of the uks highest recruiting facilitated self help Waste Minimisation project
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2003Co-Authors: Janette Ackroyd, Paul S Phillips, Ben Coulter, Adam D ReadAbstract:Abstract The business excellence through resource efficiency (betre) project aimed to increase awareness of the benefits of Waste Minimisation for SMEs in West Sussex, South East England. The programme was run by the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership, a collaboration of all West Sussex Local Authorities, the Environment Agency and EcoSys (a service provider). Betre provided a range of free business support and advice over an 18-month period including; workshops, newsletters, audits, grants and a technical Helpline. Information on environmental compliance and Best Practice for Waste Minimisation, recycling, energy and water efficiency was disseminated. All activities were linked with the UK government's Best Practice programmes. Although company recruitment was initially slow, betre was ultimately extremely successful at attracting companies to join; with 308 recruited. This is probably the most successful recruitment to a project, of this type, in the UK to date. Over half of the business members became actively involved and attended training events or had environmental audits. There were over 200 improvement actions identified by 64 of the participating companies. These resulted in estimated cost savings of at least £215 000 per annum. In addition, actions taken to prevent pollution and ensure compliance with environmental legislation have the potential to save businesses a further £204 000 in possible penalties. The environmental impact of the project has been significant, with reductions identified in Waste (1437 tonnes), water (62 933 m3) and energy (15 million kW h—equivalent to 668 tonnes CO2). In addition to actions with directly measurable results, betre has stimulated long-term benefits by addressing pollution prevention and compliance, through the formulation of environmental policies and from the adoption of Environmental Management Systems. One of the key learning points is that it may have been better to devote less time to running training events and instead to have diverted this time to increased business support, mainly through audits. To capitalise on this success, a new project is being planned to disseminate Best Practice.
Stefan Henningsson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the value of resource efficiency in the food industry a Waste Minimisation project in east anglia uk
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2004Co-Authors: Stefan Henningsson, Katherine Hyde, Ann Smith, Miranda CampbellAbstract:Abstract Waste Minimisation can be as successful in the food and drink industry as in other industries often seen as more polluting. £1.1m was realised in annual savings by 13 companies in the East Anglian Waste Minimisation in the Food and Drink Industry Project, which exceeded the Project investment of £412,000 plus the £335,000 invested by companies in cleaner technologies. The 13 food and drink companies annually reduced: raw materials use and solid Waste production by 1400 tonnes; CO2-emissions by 670 tonnes; and water use by 70,000 m3. Significant amounts of food grade material are rejected from the production line for their unsatisfactory quality. This can be for visual, physical, microbiological or compositional (chemical or biochemical) reasons. The reduction in the use of raw materials carried the greatest potential for financial savings. This reduction at source approach exceeded the corresponding savings in landfill costs by more than two orders of magnitude. This reinforces the importance for companies to identify opportunities for source reduction rather than end-of-pipe solutions and the relatively low cost of disposal for the food and drink industry. Minimising the packaging of food products presents an opportunity as well as considerable challenges to the food and drink industry as the main concern in the supply-chain is for food safety. Initiatives to reduce electricity and water consumption and to improve effluent quality did not individually carry the same potential for costs savings as the other areas. Consequently, these potential savings were given a lower priority within the companies. However, many electricity, water and effluent initiatives were implemented by fairly simple means and led to substantial savings. Changes in technology brought significant savings in manpower, as well as for materials and utilities. These savings are controversial in sustainability terms and attention has to be focused on ensuring that increased efficiency creates alternative work for people, as well as for equipment. Procedural changes often focused on auditing, material handling and staff training, and with low associated capital cost, these proved to be keys to success. The results from the Project have shown that there is a great potential for more sustainable production and consumption systems simply through improving dialogue between producers, retailers and consumers.
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Waste Minimisation clubs a cost efficient policy instrument
European Environment, 2001Co-Authors: Stefan Henningsson, Paul S Phillips, Rachel M Pratt, Katherine HydeAbstract:The total amount of solid Waste generated in Europe is estimated to grow by 10% every year and there is increased concern over the associated environmental impacts. As a result, the minimization of Waste at source in business and industry is a top priority in the European Community's Waste strategy. In the UK, regional Waste Minimisation Clubs (WMCs) have been established to promote sustainable Waste management in business and industry. The company clusters taking part in these clubs have reported financial savings combined with reductions in environmental impact. These results are disseminated to encourage further savings by the UK industry. This paper examines the savings as well as the costs involved in ten WMCs. It finds that there is a lack of standardization in the reporting of WMC results. This makes it difficult to evaluate the influence of WMCs, whilst also having an adverse effect on the credibility of Waste minimization in business. Despite these problems, the paper finds that there is still strong evidence to suggest that these ten WMCs have been efficient in stimulating cost savings by industry, with an average rate of return on investment of 170%. It also finds that the financial benefits for companies are key outcomes of WMCs and that these benefits significantly exceed the estimated social benefits of the reduced environmental burden.
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the challenge of Waste Minimisation in the food and drink industry a demonstration project in east anglia uk
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2001Co-Authors: Katherine Hyde, Ann Smith, Miranda Smith, Stefan HenningssonAbstract:Abstract Waste Minimisation in the food and drink industry leads to many of the improvements demonstrated in other sectors—energy efficiency, reduction of raw material use, reduction in water consumption and increasing reuse and recycling on site. Such improvements in environmental performance produce a directly beneficial effect on the profitability of business. The East Anglian Waste Minimisation in the Food and Drink Industry Project has demonstrated that significant amounts of food-grade material are rejected from the production line for their unsatisfactory quality, whether visual, physical, microbiological or compositional (chemical or biochemical). The Project has demonstrated that Waste reduction of 12% of raw materials can be achieved and that this makes significant contributions to company profitability by improving yields per unit output and by reducing costs associated with Waste disposal. Evidence also shows that there is potential for further improvements through improving dialogue between producers, retailers and consumers. The East Anglian Waste Minimisation Project has demonstrated that the packaging of food products presents considerable challenges to the food and drink industry. Significant opportunities exist for modifying both primary and secondary food packaging. However, whilst packaging requirements principally consider health and safety, the demands of the major supermarket chains and consumers have taken little or no account of criteria designed to meet the wide-ranging demands of Waste Minimisation. Optimising the opportunities for Waste Minimisation in the key areas of putrescible wastage and packaging, and improving consensus and dialogue are essential catalysts between purchasers, including both consumers and the major supermarkets, and between food producers and manufacturers. These food and drink sectors must identify the process options that result in a lower Waste burden, pursuing contractual agreements that reinforce and support the selection of such options.