5 Zero Waste Companies to Learn From

When searching for new ways to make your company more sustainable, you’ve likely heard the phrase “zero-waste” or “zero landfill”.

The goal of a zero-waste system is to reduce the amount of waste that a company produces through strategic initiatives, such as implementing improved recycled materials collection systems.

While a zero-waste system sounds appealing, starting one is challenging without proper guidance and education.

One of the best ways to figure out how your company can become more sustainable is to look at other company’s best practices.

To inspire your initiatives, we’ve listed some examples of zero waste companies across a variety of industries that have excelled in their sustainability efforts.

Zero-Waste Companies to Learn From

1. Unilever

The first zero-waste company on our list is Unilever.

With over 2.5 billion people using Unilever products each day, the waste from those products builds up fast.

With a goal to reduce its impact on the environment, Unilever champions the following policies to reduce its footprint:

• Reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by producing less in the first place.
• Implement new technology to increase recycled materials, rather than trashed, during the manufacturing process.
  • Unilever uses a machine that removes damaged plastic packaging before a product is shipped out. This packaging is then recycled so that it can be used once more.
• Find ways to recover waste materials that can’t be recycled for cleaner energy production.

2. Ethique

Known as a female-founded beauty brand, Ethique’s mission is to reduce the amount of plastic waste that comes from soap products.

Since it was founded, Ethique has set the standard for ethical beauty care by providing customers with high-quality products in sustainable packaging.

Ethique also utilizes a variety of sustainable goals to achieve its zero-waste goal, including:

• Sell products that are 100% plastic-free to reduce plastic waste.
• Encourage customers to purchase products that don’t come in plastic bottles with the movement “#giveupthebottle.”
• Use less water when manufacturing products.

3. Google

As an innovator in the tech industry, it comes as no surprise that Google also leads the charge amongst zero waste companies.

Believing sustainability is important for the environment and business, Google’s global data centers are making leaps and bounds to become zero-waste.

Amongst many initiatives, Google has the following ongoing initiatives to achieve zero-waste status:

• Reduce waste produced by understanding what resources can be used instead of thrown away.
• Send only 10% of waste to facilities to convert it into energy.

4. Accenture

Accenture is a consulting company that helps businesses of all capacities. When looking to improve its processes, Accenture realized that it needed to start prioritizing sustainability.

In Accenture’s 2017 Corporate Citizenship report, sustainable growth was one of three key points to shaping a responsible business.

In response to this report, Accenture performed the following actions to create a more sustainable business:

• Reduced emissions per employee by 52%, which surpassed its goal of 50% by the year 2020.
• Ensured a majority of its key suppliers are ones who share how they work towards emissions reduction.

5. Texas Instruments

As a top manufacturer in a variety of industries, Texas Instruments works in industrial, automotive, and other markets.

After examining company needs, Texas Instruments crafted a variety of unique sustainability policies, including:

• Recovering materials, like metals, to use in new ways in various industries.
• Recycling materials that can be recycled when unable to reuse them.
• Implementing greener water and wastewater policies to reduce industrial waste.

Follow the Lead of Zero Waste Companies and Go Green!

Equipped with the right inspiration, you are one step closer to making your company more sustainable.

Doing this alone can still seem daunting. Thankfully, going green is not a task you have to do alone! Many of our featured zero waste companies partner with waste management experts to achieve their goals.

With decades of experience and a unique understanding of the industrial and manufacturing industries, Generated Materials Recovery is a solid example of a reliable sustainability partner.

GMR is dedicated to helping you fulfill your sustainability initiatives. To do so, GMR partners and works with your leadership team to create a custom-tailored waste solution that meets your goals.

All in all, when partnering with GMR, going zero-waste is a lot easier to achieve!

Are you in need of an efficient zero-waste solution?

Contact the team at Generated Materials Recovery for a personalized recycling solution for your business’ needs.