What is “zero waste”? Definition and examples
Garbage is one of the main social and environmental problems of today. It not only generates pollution but affects the communities that have the least, where landfills are generally located, destroys resources and contributes to global warming.
That is why many companies have set themselves the goal of achieving zero waste .
What is a zero waste company?
Companies that aspire to be zero waste aspire to reduce their waste generation until nothing ends up in landfills or incinerators.
The ZeroWasteWorld.org website goes into more detail about the processes and benefits of adopting this philosophy: “ Zero waste is about significantly reducing, and eventually eliminating, the amount of stuff that ends Europe Cell Phone Number List up in landfills. “Most waste can be recycled, reused or converted to waste or biogas safely and economically.” Also, remember that the benefits are not only environmental, but also economic, since many materials are reused, and social, because the communities near the factories benefit.
This consumer products giant aims to use only 100% recyclable or renewable materials in all of its packaging and products, in addition to sending zero manufacturing and consumer waste to landfills. As reported by the company to GreenBiz , in 2015 it already achieved the goals it had set regarding waste for 2020. Since 2014, 99.6% of the materials that enter the plants are being reused.
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This was achieved through a program called Global Asset Recovery Purchase (GARP), which was implemented at all 140 P&G plants to reduce and reuse waste. In its first stages, it cleans the waste channels, and in the following stages, opportunities to reuse finished products are sought, and then move on to reuse raw materials and finally machinery and parts.
Currently, 82 of the 140 plants no longer send waste to landfills and the program has generated $2 billion in savings since 2008.
The popular toy company is one of the most responsible in its industry , and its goal is to keep 95% of its waste away from landfills by 2016 and to be completely zero waste by 2020 . One of the actions it takes to reach this goal is to greatly reduce its packaging and then recycle the rest.
Regarding its products, the company has adhered to the circular economy, designing with the entire life cycle of the blocks in mind and applying eco-design principles.
Unilever:
In 2008, Unilever factories generated 140 tons of garbage, the volume of 17 Eiffel towers, which ended up in landfills. That same year, the company set a goal to stop sending non-hazardous waste to landfills, something it achieved in 2014.
In the process, the company found new uses for what was once simply trash: in China, waste from Asia's largest factory is used to make bricks; in the United Kingdom mayonnaise becomes biofuel; In Russia, tea bags are used to make wallpaper, and in Africa, school desks are made from laminated plastic.
Unilever's next goal is for its non-manufacturing facilities (offices, laboratories and distribution centers) to also be zero waste .
For now, this year they will publish their first CSR report and will begin to communicate their actions regarding waste reduction. Currently, all stores are in a friendly competition to reduce their waste, and the company has looked to others within the industry to benchmark , and has also created certifications that explain acceptable methods for reducing and reusing.
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