Insights
Is your company’s waste management giving you a headache? These tips and inspiring cases will undoubtedly motivate you to go circular.
Waste reduction is a core principle of the circular economyThe circular economy is a restorative and regenerative economy. By maintaining the value of the products, materials and resources in the economy through smart product design, repurposing and/or shared use of products, it reduces the extraction of natural resources by using resources already present in the economy.. But for many businesses, balancing profitability and waste reduction remains a major challenge. Here are some practical tools to help you achieve that balance.
Identify each type of waste produced at the various stages of your production process. Sorting your waste correctly will make this analysis easier. Are these recyclable materials (glass, plastic and metal packaging, cardboard, etc.), or are you still left with a mountain of residual waste? If you’re having trouble carrying out this analysis yourself, there are many experts and organisations that can help
Be honest and identify avoidable waste streams. For example, could you switch to recyclable raw materials? Is ecodesignEcodesign allows a product design to be adapted in view of its repair or a full or partial repurposing of its components at the end of its useful life. an option? Be sure to consider economic feasibility and weigh up the pros and cons. Reusable materials might be more expensive, but they can also save you money on waste treatment.
Sell your waste. There are companies that could use your waste as raw material. Specialist platforms, both private and public, can help you find the right partners to set up such collaborations:
Still unsure whether your waste streams could have a second life? The following examples may offer inspiration:
Did you think old smartphones are always thrown in the bin? Not necessarily. Start-up Citronics uses components from old smartphones as the basis for their microcomputers
It’s inevitable: printing company Zwartopwit occasionally has surplus printed paper that has no further use. To avoid waste, the leftover paper is taken to Redopapers, a small business that transforms it into items such as weekly planners and notepads.
La Plaine Chassart, a family-run garden centre in Wagnelée, specialises in repurposingRepurposing designates all operations by which substances, materials or products that have become waste are used again. green waste. You can drop off wood (chippings) and other organic waste, which is then given a second life as biomass, compost or mulch. These waste streams help Belgian gardens bloom!
Beet pulp, a byproduct of sugar producer Tiense Suiker, isn’t suitable for human consumption. However, it can be used as cattle feed. The factories in Tienen, Wanze and Longchamps therefore work closely with local farmers, both to supply sugar beets and to use beet pulp as animal feed.
Instead of discarding the fruit pulp of the cacao pod and only using the bean, chocolate producer Barry Callebaut recycles it. The pulp is processed into flour and concentrated juice in collaboration with local partners.
Would you like to get a general overview of the current level of circularity in your business? The FPS Economy offers an online test to carry out a circular analysis of your company.
