Packaging protects and preserves products and ensures that they arrive in perfect condition. But producing packaging also consumes resources and disposing of it results in a large amount of waste, especially in the growing online trade. This is an economic and an environmental burden. Packaging and packaging waste are high on the political agenda in the EU and in some EU Members States both through the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

Re-used ... re-loved

Every office generates waste such as paper, cardboard, packaging, bottles, disposable plates, cups, cutleries, towels, food waster, etc. A 'wasteful' company typically has higher material and waste-disposal costs. So efforts to cut back on office waste can save your company money.

There are several approaches to managing and reducing the waste. Guidelines developed by Repak are very useful in this respect:

Monitor your waste streams

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 considered the same as a new product.

Look below the surface for savings

• Operating costs can be reduced in obvious and less obvious ways
• The key is to know where to look

A US company producing surfactant was looking at ways to reduce its operating costs. It decided to map energy consumption during production process, to identify any potential for improvement. This proved to be the right move.

Surprising gains from small changes

• Steel mill makes a small adjustment to a key process and saves around €1 million annually
• Adding insulation to its steel-making ladles saves a further € 635 000 a year

Heavy industry relies on seamless integration of processes and often large machinery which is not always easy to change or move around, even when the company can identify an inefficient operation or problem area. The steel industry is a typical example of this.

Changes and improvements to production infrastructure can significantly reduce raw materials used, and related costs of storage, as well as boost manufacturing efficiency.

Matches made in... Turntoo

• Clever sales models are reshaping the producer-consumer relationship with energy and resource benefits
• Intermediaries can design match-ups that yield good results for businesses, consumers and the environment

The Dutch company Turntoo shapes business models based on new lease-return-sharing concepts, including where products are not sold in the traditional way to the consumer, but remain the property of the producer throughout their lifecycle.

See-through, long-term business relationships

Good insulation of exterior walls, floors, ceilings/roofs, windows, and exterior doors can reduce your new building’s energy demand (both cooling and heating) by some 35 %.

Thermal insulation can also help you reduce CO2 emissions by more than a third, and improve the thermal comfort and indoor air quality within the building. It also helps owners meet building codes and standards as they become ever-more strict.