Material efficiency

Best practices

More efficient laser cutting saves materials and reduces scrap

New laser tech shaves costs Company replaces its inefficient mechanical steel cutters for boilers New laser cutting units use 94.1 % of the sheet, saving money and reducing waste DOMUSA Teknik makes and sells heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) products with a particular focus on solar...
Best practices

Standardising chemical product containers cuts waste in automotive sector

Seeing room for improvement is where it all starts Plant identifies how to reduce hazardous waste, save money and improve efficiency Measures cut hazardous waste by around 33 %, save staff time, and reduce production costs BRUSS Juntas Técnicas designs and manufactures high-end sealing systems for...
Best practices

Aeronautics firm radically cuts waste and saves resources

Well-grounded waste reduction Company cuts material consumption and waste by installing an evaporator Adjusting its purchasing policies and procedures and other good practices also saves resources AERNNOVA is a leading aerostructures company specialising in the design and manufacturing of...
Best practices

Casting titanium components instead of milling

Titans of metal casting Technical advances in metal casting presented an opportunity to save resources Titanium casting and precision-milling technique led to large savings: 80 % energy and 75 % materials TITAL GmbH is a German metal components producer which is part of the larger Arconic group...
Best practices

Material audit improved reuse of residue fibres

Weaving savings from non-wovens Expert audit reveals ways to improve processes and better use waste materials Annual material savings of around 3 % of net revenue Suominen Kuitukankaat Oy is the global market leader in non-wovens for wipes, employing nearly 650 people in Europe and in the Americas...
Best practices

Successful material audit in tofu-making factory

Keep an open mind! External experts can see what needs doing from the outside-in Material audit halves biowaste production, identifies packaging and waste-saving options, and drives revenue up Oy Soya Ab’s tofu production plant is situated in Tammisaari, southern Finland. Soya’s business is to...
Best practices

Material efficiency audit tool for companies

A material audit is a practical tool for companies to improve the efficiency of their operations and to manage their material flows. With material audits, it is possible to identify those stages of the production process where reductions can be made in the use of materials, the amount of waste that...
Best practices

Cascade system for powder coating pretreatment

Getting the full (pre)treatment Material efficiency report reveals where water and chemical savings can be made Measures introduced lead to a 90 % reduction in annual water use and 72 % chemical savings In the German company Farbe + Design GmbH, individual metal pieces are chemically pretreated for...
Best practices

Food-processing company achieves dramatic energy savings

Comprehensive environmental gains Natural gas consumption reduced by 491 802 m3 per year Reduced electricity consumption by 1 030.4 MWh per year CO2 emissions down by 2 411.28 tonnes annually Following a comprehensive environmental review, a medium-sized grain processing company in Southeast Europe...
Best practices

Efficiency measures at Think Fitness

Energy fitness check-up with a twist… Think Fit health club shaved 70 % off its energy bill More thought was put into materials choice (sustainability and health) Management wanted a win-win for the environment and operating costs Think Fit in the UK undertook an ambitious programme to improve its...
Best practices

Zero waste at Denby Ceramics in the UK

Synergy seals the zero-waste deal Partnership deal diverts 3 936 tonnes of waste from landfill Cost savings totalled around € 11 400 and additional sales of some € 125 000 Denby Ceramics has been making pottery in Derbyshire, England for over 200 years and has moved on from the production of the...
Best practices

Improving office paper consumption in Swedish bank

Going digital for the environment Digitisation efforts aimed to reduce paper consumption 85 % less physical letters (paper) sent to customers Graphic paper consumption dropped by 76.4 % Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) is a major Swedish financial group for corporate customers, institutions and...