Avoid, reduce, enhance...

• 6.8 % less packaging on 250 best-selling products
• Saving 1 360 tonnes of material and using 1 300 tonnes of recyclables 

Migros is Switzerland's largest retailer and supermarket chain. In recent years, as part of an environmental effort, it has reassessed its packaging in line with the principle of 'avoid, recuce and enhance'. 

Part of Migros efficiency drive is to develop packaging and products in parallel, taking into account the whole life cycle of the product and its packaging. 

Eco-designs power a sustainability drive

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. Customers are also demanding better, greener packaging alternatives.

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.