FEATURE WASTE MANAGEMENT & RECYCLING OOPS, IT’S OEPS What will the new Office for Environmental Protection mean for the manufacturing sector?


the company they work for taking steps to improve the environment and minimise waste. How can managing waste actually


improve well-being? Waste is a natural by-product of the manufacturing and distribution process. We all know that packaging for example prevents a huge amount of other waste from arising, such as good damaged in transit, or food spoiled through contact or exposure to air. However, piles of plastic, carton board


by Anna Cawley, director of customer service at Cawleys W.M


The Environment Bill announced on 15 October proposes a new Office for Environmental Protection. It will give teeth to subjects to which the government has only really paid had lip service before


E


nvironmental principles will be enshrined in law. The government


has made clear that this will include introducing measures to: • improve air quality • restore and enhance nature • transform the way we manage waste • protect water resources


Behind it all is the most significant and


challenging target in our lifetimes, to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Waste and resource management are


central to all these changes and targets. What steps can and should manufacturing businesses be taking now? Many organisations will have a risk


assessment plan in place, with various different scenarios sketched out, rated and staff and action plans assigned to each. This same approach now needs to be


taken with resource management. Resources need to be considered holistically; not just human resources but earth resources. That is, all the materials


26 NOVEMBER 2019 | IRISH MANUFACTURING


a business needs to operate, and all those it creates as part of its operation, including waste. Once resource consumption and


production has been identified, manufacturers can take steps to reduce, recycle, re-invent or protect that resource. Waste is one of the best resource


streams to address first as part of this process because it is so highly visible, readily understood and important to your staff. For example, the most recent survey from TetraPak and Ipsos has proved that consumers now see their well-being as linked to environmental problems. They also now consider mental health problems as equal to physical ones. Those consumers might be your


customers in which case they will be more inclined to buy from you if they can see your proven environmental credentials. But they could also be your employees, and their physical and mental well-being, and therefore your productivity, could be improved by seeing


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or wood in pallets still look like – and actually is – waste. Staff might become used to seeing waste, they might be inured to it and ignore it, but it could still be having a silent yet significant impact on well-being and motivation levels. Seeing waste and just living with it engenders a sense of hopelessness and inertia, whereas you want exactly the opposite – a motivated and energised workforce. A staff engagement waste


transformation campaign, which employees are invited or encouraged to join, can be very rewarding. It supports well-being by allowing people to be part of the solution. This is one, and arguably the most


important reason why manufacturing companies should tackle waste first as part of a resource management plan. Another reason is because it will prepare for any new legislation. Whether it’s Extended Producer


Cawleys Waste Management www.cawleys.co. uk


Responsibility rising from the DEFRA Waste and Resource strategy, or steps required as a result of the Climate Change Act, both of which will be enforced by the OEPS, the need for manufacturers to make tangible changes to the way waste and resources are managed is now urgent.


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