Materials efficiency
It all starts with reducing waste
As raw materials become increasingly scarce, it’s up to all of us to make sure they’re used efficiently. We believe that making the most of raw materials in our manufacturing processes includes effectively managing the waste produced. This not only reduces our environmental footprint, but also cuts our costs.
In 2007, we reduced our output of non-reusable waste (NRW) from 112 to 57 kilotons. This was largely down to the sale of our Organon BioSciences (OBS) business. Even so, we also successfully reduced NRW production in all our other businesses by 2 percent, compared with the previous year.
It’s an ongoing process
We continue to take waste reduction seriously. With the help of our sourcing group, we’re running many projects at our sites to identify where further reductions can be made. By using eco-efficient manufacturing processes, we can analyze where inefficiencies can be eliminated or processes improved.
We’ll also be expanding our waste reporting this year to include not just NRW, but all waste – both non-reusable and reusable. This will give us a more complete picture of where we can make future reductions and improvements.