Waste not want not - States Assembly

Box 29: Envirowise (continued)
Example 2:
Some wastes are unavoidable but can be recovered to be re-used on site. The Electronic Controls
Division of Stadium plc employs 180 people and manufactures electronic assemblies and
injection moulded plastics. Stadium became concerned about the high cost of new solder
needed to replace that lost in dross. They tested on-site solder recovery and found that the
recovered solder met their specifications. They now recover 3600kg of solder from their waste
dross and are saving £11,500 per year in avoided purchase costs. [Envirowise Case Study CS319
Solder and Cost Recovery from Dross.]
Example 3:
One way of reducing waste is to reduce the amount of material in a product, so there is less to
dispose of when it is finally discarded. Fulleon Ltd is a leading supplier of elements for fire alarm
systems, employing 170 people in South Wales. In March 1999, Fulleon decided to redesign its
‘break-glass’ call point product. A cross-functional design team was set up to look at all aspects
of the product design. The new design has reduced the number of parts from 17 to 11 and
reduced plastic consumption by 27%. It is also quicker to manufacture and assemble.
Manufacturing costs have been reduced by £92,000 per year, with a payback period of just over
a year. The new design was also the first product to gain certification to a new European
standard for manual fire alarm call points. [Envirowise Case Study CS326 Product Redesign Cuts
Materials and Costs.]
Further details about Envirowise are available on their web site: www.envirowise.org.uk
7.21 However, while Envirowise has reached up
to 90% of companies in the areas where it has
concentrated, only about 5% of UK companies
are aware of the programme. The impact of
Envirowise could be increased by expanding
awareness (and hence use) of the programme,
possibly through targeted marketing campaigns
directed at companies with more than 10
employees. Envirowise estimate that awareness
of the programme amongst companies could
be increased to at least 20% within two years.
Increasing the regional focus of Envirowise
through closer links with the RDAs, Business
Links and Local Enterprise Councils would also
help raise the programme’s profile. An increase
in resources would allow Envirowise to offer
more individual support to companies; to play a
larger role in skills enhancement in the
workforce; and to offer better support to waste
minimisation clubs. It might also enable
Envirowise to expand coverage to other sectors
including agriculture and construction.
Industry: what could it achieve?
7.22 It would be feasible to extend Envirowise’s
coverage to up to 20% of all UK companies.
This would help improve business efficiency and
reduce waste arisings with consequent
economic and environmental benefits.
Recommendation 19:
The role of Envirowise should be expanded
so its coverage is extended to 20% of UK
companies over the next 2 years.
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT MEASURES
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