Cleaner Production Guideline

Introduction to Cleaner Production

What is Cleaner Production?

Cleaner production aims to prevent pollution, reduce the use of energy, water and material
resources and minimise waste, profitably and without reducing production capacity. It involves
rethinking conventional methods to achieve ‘smarter’ products, product components, and
production processes.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) defines Cleaner production as ‘the
continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy applied to processes,
products, and services to increase eco-efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the
environment’. It includes:

Conserving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic

Production
raw materials, and reducing the quantity and toxicity of
processes:
all emissions and wastes.
Reducing negative impacts along the life cycle of a
Products: product, from raw materials extraction to its ultimate
disposal.
Incorporating environmental concerns into designing
Services:
and delivering services.

Cleaner production requires changing attitudes, responsible environmental management and

evaluating technology options.

How is Cleaner Production different?

Food Manufacturers use a lot of different materials and produce wastes that represent a cost to
the company and can have an impact on the environment if they are not managed effectively.
The wider community and governments may also face significant costs for treating and disposing
of wastes and for repairing damage to the environment. These costs can be high and trends show
that they are rising as the pressure on the environment increases.

Traditional environmental protection focuses on what to do with wastes and emissions after they
have been created. Treatment and disposal of waste generally only address the symptoms of an
inefficient process. Waste is often an indicator that you are losing money unnecessarily.

The goal of Cleaner Production is to avoid generating pollution in the first place - which
frequently cuts costs, reduces risks and identifies new opportunities. Cleaner Production aims to
reduce waste and inefficiency at source and can help develop the most efficient way to operate
processes, produce products and to provide services.

It can save your company money!

Improving environmental performance by reducing wastes and emissions is a major focus of

Cleaner Production. Improved health and safety and also be an outcome of the process. Other
benefits include new markets and business opportunities.

Cleaner Production provides an integrated approach that highlights both economic and
environmental improvement. By using this approach, improving environmental performance and
reducing the risk of causing environmental harm or nuisance becomes a natural outcome of
running an efficient process.

The Cleaner Production Hierarchy

The Cleaner Production Hierarchy is a good tool to help think about Cleaner Production options
in your operation and to focus on eliminating or reducing waste at source. In adopting a Cleaner
Production philosophy, try to consider how wastes were created rather than how they can be
treated. Typically, strategies higher up the hierarchy are more cost effective.

Eliminate

Eliminating the need to use materials (particularly harmful products such as cleaning agents) can
greatly reduce operating costs and reduce the potential harm to the environment. For example, by
substituting hazardous materials with less harmful alternatives.

Reduce

The next step is to minimise the use of all materials in the process. This can include reducing
errors in batch preparation, optimising cleaning operations to reduce the volume of water used
and turning off equipment that is not in use.

Reuse

There are many opportunities to reuse ‘waste products’ in the food manufacturing industry. This
will reduce the demand for raw materials and the cost of treatment and disposal. It may be
possible to reuse some clean process waters in the boiler, or install drip trays to catch product
that can then be returned to the next batch.

Recycle

Are the wastes identified by your assessment really ‘wastes’? Can some of these be reclaimed
through simple treatment processes that enables them to be reused on-site. Other by-products that
cannot be used on site may be recycled off-site for. In these cases there may be the potential to
sell recyclable items and also save indirectly by the avoiding disposal costs.

Treat and Dispose

This option should only be considered after the other options have been exhausted. Generally
these options are typically a cost to industry. However it may be essential to consider this as a
part of your overall Cleaner Production strategy.
Cleaner Production Guideline
Implementing a Cleaner Production Project
A Cleaner Production assessment is a
systematic approach to identify areas
throughout the process where resource
use, hazardous materials and waste
generation can be reduced.

While there are several approaches to

undertaking CP assessments all of them
have a similar underlying purpose - to
encourage a formal / systematic
examination of the company’s
operation, to capture all ideas in the
system so they can be evaluated and
implemented as appropriate and to help
maintain focus and progress towards to
goals of the project.

Informal programs tend to start well but

can lose drive over time as day-to-day
pressures shift focus elsewhere. Non-
systematic projects run the risk of
focusing too much effort on areas with
relatively modest potential gains.

The level of detail necessary varies

between companies. This should be
guided by the potential benefits that can
be gained from the Cleaner Production
program - including cost savings,
environmental and other benefits.

The project scope also varies between

companies. The pre-assessment phase
(Phase II) should help to broadly define
the scope of the project and the
assessment phase (Phase III) should
accurately measure resource use and
waste throughout the process and
identify process areas that are major
contributors to the overall problem. This
will help set priorities and ensure that
your company’s improvement actions
will have the biggest impact for the
effort expended.
 Cleaner Production Guideline
Planning and Organisation
Getting Started

Is your company ready to implement a successful Cleaner Production program? There are a
number of factors that appear to contribute most significantly to the success of company based
programs, for example, getting top management support.

Think about the company culture and systems that help or inhibit Cleaner Production uptake.

Support

Companies are more likely to succeed when:

 management support the program for Cleaner Production / waste minimisation.

 top management drive change by communicating the benefits of Cleaner Production to all
staff.
 sufficient time and resources have been allocated to achieve the Cleaner Production
objectives.
 the company has a challenging Environmental Policy that encourages source reduction
and continuous improvement.

Acceptance

Companies are more likely to succeed when:

 staff are aware of Cleaner Production.

 staff understand the economic and environmental importance of reducing waste.
 staff understand their role in achieving the objectives of the program.

Planning

Companies are more likely to succeed when:

 the Cleaner Production project is formalised and well planned.

 the project has an established framework, with a team leader, team members and clear
roles and responsibilities.
 when the budget, timeframe, goals and success criteria are clearly defined and
measurable.
 when progress is regularly reviewed and drive is maintained (by top management, the CP
team leaders and everyone in the company).
Knowledge

Companies are more likely to succeed when:

 the project is based on good information. This can be gained from Cleaner Production /
environmental or efficiency audits for energy, water, trade waste, materials etc..
 the company can set reasonable priorities based on the full value and impact of waste
generated by the company.
 the procedures for identifying, evaluating and implementing Cleaner Production options
are well known, supported and widely practised throughout the organisation.
 staff have sufficient training in correct waste minimisation procedures and know what to
do with each type of waste (e.g. laminated signs posted around the site).
 staff know what to do with waste in the case of an accident / emergency.
 the company has an effective and timely materials accounting system in place -
integrating purchasing, handling, inventory, process control and sales systems - to
accurately track resource use, waste and produce variance reports (i.e. that compare
actual and standard resource use and waste).
 orientation programs for new employees include Cleaner Production.

Skills

Companies are more likely to succeed when key staff have the necessary skills to:

 implement appropriate waste measuring and monitoring systems.

 undertake Cleaner Production assessments / audits.
 identify resources and product losses (emissions, wastewater and solid waste).
 identify Cleaner Production improvement opportunities.
 evaluate options (economic and non-economic analysis).
 implement viable options.

Improvement and Feedback

Companies are more likely to succeed when:

 progress is reviewed on a regular basis (e.g. annually) at a corporate level.

 staff are fully involved in the suggestion and improvement process.
 performance reviews include Cleaner Production goals.
 twoway communication exists between employees and management.
 feedback about achievements and improvements is regularly reported (e.g. KPI progress
reports and wall charts).
 feedback is provided for all suggestions (even those that cannot be implemented).
 the cost of resource use (e.g. energy, water), waste generation, treatment and disposal and
other overheads is allocated and charged to individual process units in accordance to the
contribution of each.
 the goals of Cleaner Production are integrated into the overall business objectives of the
organisation.
These success factors have been derived from a large number of Cleaner Production projects.
Your project may, of course, succeed without some of these factors. They do not guarantee
success, but they are a good guide based on previous experience.
 Cleaner Production Guideline
The Pre-Assessment
The pre-assessment is designed to give an overview of the organisation. This involves collecting
or developing some basic process information that allows your company to set the broad scope
of the Cleaner Production project. This information will also form the basis of the assessment
and evaluation phases.

Process Flow Diagrams

One of the best method for collecting this information is to develop process flowcharts for each
process in the operation. These flowcharts should identify (at least) the major inputs and outputs
(including by-product and wastes) in each process step. A simple example is shown in Figure 1.

The Walk Through Assessment

One method of undertaking a simple pre-assessment is to undertake a Walk Through

Assessment. This is a simple method that takes the CP team through each step of the process and
encourages them to identify waste problems and to identify opportunities for improvement. The
assessment can be done away from the process area by using process flow diagrams but it is
often better to physically walk through the area as this will provide lots of cues (e.g. waste on the
floor, sounds of air leaks etc.) and allow you to talk to process staff.

Steps

1. Form a team for the Walk Though Assessment. Include people who understand the process
and some from outside the process who might question things that those close to the process take
for granted.

2. Schedule an appropriate time for the assessment - you may need one to two hours depending
on the scale of the operation.

3. Start by reviewing the process (use a process flow diagram) to ensure everyone on the team
understands the key process steps.

4. Walk through the process considering all aspects of waste, resource use and efficiency.

5. Record all the waste problems and improvement ideas you identify.

6. Prioritise the problems and opportunities. Use this information to plan the assessment phase.
The purpose of this process is to identify the range of issues and opportunities facing the
company and begin to assess the priority areas that are likely to have a significant positive
impact on the company’s performance. This information should be used to plan the Assessment
phase and set broad priorities. Don’t eliminate areas from the assessment at this stage. More
detailed and quantitative analysis in the assessment phase (e.g. mass balances, monitoring and
measuring programs) will provide a more systematic approach to targeting your improvement
actions.

The following checklist may provide a useful approach for thinking about the key issues and
recording problems and opportunities that are identified in the process. This is a very broad
checklist designed flag major issues in a short amount of time typically available for the
assessment. More exhaustive checklists are available in the other guidelines. You may prefer to
use these (and any other ideas you have) to develop a checklist that is more relevant to your
operation.

Questions Notes
(Problems Identified)

Inventory Issues -

Are products stored and

handled to minimise breakages, -
spoilage etc.?

Do we maintain an effective
inventory system(e.g. first in - -
first out, Just-in-Time?

Do errors in the materials

make-up area and procedures -
create waste?

Does the type and quality of

-
our inputs lead to waste?

Process Issues -

Are there any drips or leaks in

-
the area?
Are their any spills on the
ground? Can they be avoided or -
reused? Where do they go?

Are there any areas where spills

-
or process foul-ups can occur?

Are their any bottlenecks where

-
production is held up?

Is the machinery and equipment

operating at its designed -
capacity / efficiency?

Is energy being wasted? -

How does the layout of the

plant impact on the efficiency -
of the operation?

Is there any equipment

available that could increase -
efficiency?

Housekeeping Issues -

Are there any obvious signs of

-
poor housekeeping practices?

Are there any methods

available to improve cleaning -
practices?

Does the layout of the plant

make housekeeping, cleaning -
and maintenance difficult?

Staff Issues -

Do the operating procedures -

lead to the generation of waste?
Can they be changed?

Are procedures being

followed? If not, why not?
What procedures do the staff
-
have difficulty with? Do they
have any suggestions for how
they might be improved?

Do staff have any other ideas

-
for how waste can be reduced?

Have staff had the opportunity

to suggest and make changes -
that improve efficiency?

Waste Issues -

How are wastes removed from

-
the process area?

Are wastes segregated? -

Are there any opportunities for

-
reuse or recycling of wastes?

Is waste treated on site? Could

any wastes be recycled after -
treatment?

How is waste removed from the

-
site?

Marketing Issues -

What are the product

specifications and customer
-
requirements? How do these
impact on the creation of
waste? Can they be changed?

Are there any potential

marketing benefits to be gained
-
from our Cleaner Production
program?

Broad Issues -

Can we suggest any changes to

the company’s overall policies
and systems that would help -
implement Cleaner Production
in this area?

Are there any long term

changes to equipment,
-
facilities, markets that should
be considered?
 Cleaner Production Guideline
The Assessment
The assessment phase involves the collection of data that enables you to evaluate the
environmental performance, production efficiency and wastes generated by the company.
Information should be collected at the company level to allow overall performance to be
measures, for targets to be set and for progress to be monitored. Process information is also
necessary to identify the sources of problems and opportunities for improvement.

Collecting Information

Information can be sourced from a large number of areas. The main types of information and
possible sources include:

External and External Requirements

 Relevant environmental laws and regulations and likely trends.

 Environmental Management Systems and Standards.
 Industry codes of practice.
 Cleaner Production Information
 Manuals, checklists, guidelines.
 Case studies, demonstration projects.
 Consultants, government departments, universities.

Process information

Process flow diagrams.

Design and actual layouts.

Operating manuals and process descriptions.

Equipment layout and logistics.

Equipment specifications and data sheets.

Operational Information

 Product composition and batch sheets.

 Material Safety Data Sheets.
 Product and raw material inventory records.
 Operator data logs.
  Operating procedures.
 Production schedules.
 Production and scheduling records.
 Process and equipment specifications.
 Quality assurance procedures and records.
 Information from suppliers.
 Flow meters and process control data.

Cost Data

 Council rates notices, trade waste statements and waste management contracts.
 Waste handling, treatment, and disposal costs.
 Water and sewage costs, including surcharges.
 Costs for non-hazardous waste disposal (e.g. scrap metal, cardboard).
 Product, energy and raw material costs.
 Operating and maintenance costs.
 Purchasing, invoice and inventory records.
 Wages
 Treatment cost records.

Where information is not available it may be necessary or desirable to undertake specific

monitoring programs to collect data. These may include energy / resource efficiency or waste
(solid waste, wastewater etc.) assessments.

Materials Balance

Develop a materials balance is a systematic approach to tracking materials through the operation.
A thorough analyses would include solids, liquids, gasses and energy flows. The basic principle
is that "what goes in - must come out". This enable you to identify losses in the process and
identify where they are coming from. It also helps determine the significance of each areas of
loss and target the most important losses. A simple materials balance is shown in Figure 1.

The materials balance can be developed broadly for the entire operation. At the process level, the
analysis will be more meaningful and allow better decisions to be made. The level of detail
should be dictated by the importance of the decision. If company wide material balance indicated
significant opportunities for improvement then a more detailed analysis may be justified.
In order to develop priorities this resource balance should include the volume of the material, the
nature of the material (e.g. potential risks) and the full economic value of the material to the
company. This will help to target the areas that have the most significant environmental risk and
represent the most significant economic cost to the company.

If it proves to be very difficult to undertake a materials balance it may point to opportunities to

improve process control and materials accounting practices.

Developing Costing Information

Calculating the actual costs of production is crucial in setting priorities for improvement and
persuading yourself and others of the benefit of Cleaner Production. For most companies, the
most accurate data available is typically site-wide data such as purchasing records, total
production / sales, inventory stock takes etc.. Therefore, the easiest approach to allocating costs
at the unit operation level is typically a breakdown method. The steps for this method are:

Step One - estimating overall cost of each waste stream to the company.

This calculation will include the cost of:

 materials purchasing and handling.

 production.
 cleaning and maintenance.
 monitoring, treatment, disposal.
 compliance.

There may be a wide range of other on-costs and overheads that need to be considered.

The site wide materials balance should provide data for each material on the quantity purchased,
the amount leaving as valuable products and the amount that ends up as waste. This ratio of
inputs to waste outputs will help calculate the proportion of materials costs that should be
assigned to waste.

For example:

Monthly Cost
Proportion Monthly Cost
Input Monthly Input Monthly Waste of Waste
Waste of Ingredients
Ingredients
Flour 100 tonnes 2 tonnes 2% $100,000 $2,000

Note: Data provided is for example only.

The other costs can be assigned to individual waste streams based on their contribution to
various costs. This could be calculated by volume (e.g. waste accounts for 2% of total ingredient
intake, therefore, the full cost should include 2% of production, cleaning and maintenance costs).
There may be other methods of allocating costs (e.g. risk based) that may be appropriate.

For example:

Proportion Monthly Monthly Total

Monthly
Proportion of Total Cost of Cost of Monthly
Input Cost of
Waste ** Waste waste Waste Cost of
Production*
Stream*** production Ingredients Waste
Flour $2,000,000 2% 10% $4,000 $2,000 $8,000

Note: Data provided is for example only.

* Includes all costs discussed above.
** Proportion waste indicates the amount of the individual stream ends up as waste.
*** Proportion of Total Waste Stream indicates the amount this waste stream contributes to the total site generation
of waste.

Step Two - estimate the cost per unit of waste

Dividing the total cost of each waste stream by the total quantity generated in the period will
provide an estimate of the unit cost of the waste. In the example above, the unit cost for waste
flour is $4000 / tonne.

Step Three - assign waste costs of unit processes.

Undertaking a detailed mass balance will provide data on the volume of materials wasted in each
unit process. Unit costs of waste can then be used to assign total costs of waste to each unit
process. This will help identify which processes contribute most significantly to the costs of
waste. This approach can be used to calculate total cost for unit operation of show the
contribution of all unit processes for an individual waste stream.

For Example:

Unit - Mixing

Ingredient Quantity Cost

Flour 100kg $400
Oil 20 l $100
Sugar 5 kg $20
Total $520

Note: Data provided is for example only.

 Waste Stream - Flour

Quantity
Unit Process Cost
(Tonnes)
Mixing Dividing .6 $1,600
Proving / Baking .8 $3,600
Packing .6 $2,800
Total 2 $8,000

Note: Data provided is for example only.

Identifying Causes of Waste

Once you have measured the quantity and cost of waste, the next step is to identify the causes.
Some causes of waste may be unavoidable. For others the cost of fixing the problem may be
greater than the benefits that will be gained. Experience shows that many causes are avoidable.

Identifying causes may require brainstorming, further investigation or expert advice. Typical
causes include:

 storage and product conveyance (e.g.. leaking tanks, pipes, spillages);

 poor process control or lack of process optimisation;
 faulty or old equipment;
 inappropriate or poorly followed operating procedures;
 poor maintenance routines; and
 poor housekeeping practices.

Identifying the real cause of waste is necessary for the next step - generating appropriate CP
options.

Generating CP Options

The are a wide range of methods that your company can adopt to generate ideas for Cleaner
Production improvements. Whatever methods you choose, it is important to ensure that:

 participation in the process is encouraged.

 that the ideas are documented and not lost.
 that all ideas are given an appropriate level of consideration.
 timely feedback is given for each idea (even unsuccessful ones).
 good ideas are rewarded.
Your idea generation method may be as simple as providing suggestion boxes or asking staff for
the opinion.

You may also develop a more formal improvement suggestion process. For example, Quality
Assurance and Environmental Management systems typically include the use of improvement
suggestion forms which can be used for this purpose.

Cleaner Production workshops and brainstorming sessions are also used to generate ideas, often
as part of training programs. There are many brainstorming techniques that you can use. The idea
these techniques is to encourage staff to look at processes from a Cleaner Production perspective.
Being closely involved in a process can make it difficult to see problems and opportunities for
improvement. Therefore is it necessary to use techniques that encourage you to see the process
with ‘a new set of eyes’.

One good method is to use Cleaner Production checklists. For example, the walk-through
assessment you undertook as part of the pre-assessment should have uncovered a number of
options that were immediately apparent. Discussing each of the problem areas identified in the
walk-through should help develop many more. The fact sheets provide a large number of
potential options that may give you ideas.

You may choose to use some brainstorming exercises that you can use to help think laterally
about possible solutions. The following questions may help.

1. Think about each of the key words from the hierarchy in turn - elimination, minimisation,
reuse, recycling, treatment, disposal. What options does this generate?

2. Think about the possible Cleaner Production strategies - housekeeping, input change, simple
process change, major process / technology change, product or market change. What options
does this generate?

3. Try to distinguish the causes from the symptoms. Waste on the floor is a symptom of a bad
procedure or faulty equipment. What is the cause of the problem and how can these be fixed?

4. What assumptions are you making? Just because this is always how it has been done doesn’t
mean it is the only way.

5. What are the rules, procedures, and guidelines that effect the area? Do these cause unnecessary
waste?

6. Where does the waste go and what problems does this cause? Is there anything else that could
be done to this waste?

7. What can you do today? The best solution may take a long time to implement. This doesn’t
mean something couldn’t be done in the meantime. What is the simplest solution to the problem
that you could implement today?
8. No matter what you do someone will be there to say ‘it can’t be done’. What negative
reactions can you expect? What excuses could be made to stop progress? What are the
impediments to minimising waste? How can you overcome these?
 Cleaner Production Guideline
Evaluating Cleaner Production Options
Many improvement options are relatively simple so costs and benefits of implementing them are
fairly clear. For more complex options it may be necessary to undertake an evaluation to ensure
it is beneficial to the company in the long term. Also, you may have developed a number of
potential projects and need to establish which ones to implement within budget limitations.
Simple options with clear benefits should be implemented immediately.

For more complex decision, option evaluation should be undertaken to the appropriate level and
should include both economic and non-economic criteria. The economic analysis will provide an
idea of the cost involved in implementing the options, on-going costs associated with the change
and the potential benefits associated with reduced costs, increased sales and profits. The non-
economic analysis will consider how the change will impact on the organisation.

The detail of the analysis should match the importance of the decision. Projects that are costly
and involve significant changes will have to go through a more detailed evaluation process as
part of the company’s overall planning process. Simple projects with obvious benefits may get
immediate approval.

Economic Analysis

In order to complete the economic analysis, you will need to estimate all major costs and benefits
associated with the project. The table below will show you most of the categories you should
consider.

1. Determine the likely cost of equipment and installation and any other up-front costs associated
with change - e.g. housekeeping changes are typically cheap.

2. Estimate the likely on-going costs such as running costs, maintenance, materials, labour, etc.

3. It the change likely to lead to increased sales of current or new products - what range may be
likely?

4. What level of savings may be possible from the change in terms of materials, water, energy,
treatment, disposal etc?

5. Are there any other costs or benefits associated with the change? Can they be quantified?

6. Estimate the total costs and the total benefits for the option.

7. Calculate the net annual benefit by subtracting the total costs from the total benefits.
8. Calculate the payback period using the following formula:

Payback = (capital costs / (annual benefits - annual costs)) * 12

This will tell you the approximate number of months it will take to recover the capital costs
associated with the change.

For example: Installing drip guards may cost $500 and involve no on-going costs. Cost savings
amount to $50 per week or $2600 a year.

Capital costs = $500

Annual costs = $0

Annual benefits = $2600

Payback = $500 / ($2600 - 0) * 12 = 2.3 Months

Note: If you only require a fairly simple analysis or if accurate estimates of costs and benefits are
not available, use the broad value ranges at the bottom of the table for each item.

Economic Analysis

CP Option Item Value

Capital Costs Equipment -
- Installation -
Total Capital Costs - -
Annual Costs Running Costs -
- Maintenance -
- Materials -
Total Annual Costs - -
Annual Benefits Increased Sales -
- Sale of By-products -
Annual Savings:
 Materials
- -
  Water
- -

 Energy
- -

 Treatment /
- Disposal -

Total Annual Benefits - -

Net Annual Benefits - -
Payback Period - -

Value Range: 1: < $500; 2: $500 - $5000; 3: $5000 - $20000; 4: $20000 - $100000; 5: > $100,000

Non-economic Analysis

Non-economic factors also need to be considered to ensure that the change will not impact
negatively on other functional areas in the operation. For each option being considered, consider
the impact on the change on product quality, safety, customer expectations, environmental
performance, and other management systems in the company.

Non-Economic Analysis

Non-economic Factor Comment

How will the change affect product

quality (positive/negative)? Are any -
trade-offs acceptable?

How will the change affect health

-
and safety (positive/negative)?

What are your customers

expectations? Would they care about
-
the change? What changes would
they accept or even find desirable?

What impact will the change have

on the environmental performance -
of the company (i.e. reduce the
toxicity or impact of wastes, reduce
environmental liability etc.)?

What are the requirements of people

in different departments (i.e.
purchasing, cleaning, production, -
maintenance)? What is the best
compromise solution?

How easy will it be to implement

the change? How much time, and
-
expertise will be needed? Are these
resources readily available?
 Cleaner Production Guideline
Implementation and Review
Project Implementation

While the actual implementation plan for successful options will have different features
depending on the management strategy of the company carrying out the CP program some
desirable features are:

 Develop the project budget.

 Develop implementation time tables for all recommendations and allocate tasks to staff
members.
 Establish milestones for tasks and monitor their progress.
 Regularly report on progress to CEO.
 Review the results.

Monitoring Performance

Just as measuring waste and resource efficiency is necessary to setting priorities and developing
implement action opportunities, monitoring performance over time is an essential component of
your improvement program.

Many companies use Key Performance Indicators to track changes in performance. With
appropriate monitoring programs, environmental and waste criteria can be developed. These
should include totalised indicators that monitor the overall environmental impact of the operation
(e.g. tonnes of waste produced per month) and normalised indicators (e.g. resource consumption
per tonne of product, waste generation per unit of production or per unit of input etc.) that
monitor the efficiency of the operation.

Monitoring may also be continuous (e.g flow meters, process control data loggers) or periodic
(e.g waste audits, wastewater monitoring, manual stock takes). The cost and complexity of the
system may also vary from simple manual systems to sophisticated real time process monitoring
systems that integrate purchasing, inventory, dispensing and production to allow detailed
materials accounting throughout the process. In general, your monitoring system will add value
to the organisation if the value of the information is greater than the cost of the system.

In the food manufacturing sector, the full costs of waste and resource inefficiency is typically
high and many companies are realizing the benefits of developing sophisticated process
monitoring systems. These systems can used to generate variance reports that compare real time
resource use and waste data with established norms. Major differences (in terms of value and
volume) can be highlighted and associated with a specific process and time period. This enables
the supervisor / manager to pinpoint the problem and deal with it quickly - before the cause of
forgotten or further waste of created.

Continuous Improvement

To achieve continuous improvement the momentum of the Cleaner Production project must be
maintained over time. Some of the factors that will help achieve this include:

Providing Timely Feedback

Most Cleaner Production solutions are not purely technical in nature. Therefore sustaining and
building on improvements overt time requires active staff participation. This is most likely to
occur when staff can identify tangible personal benefits from their involvement. These may be
both financial and non financial rewards. The desire for recognition, perceived meaningfulness
and, pride in work (e.g. that their company is responsible cares for the environment etc.) are all
powerful forms of motivation.

Providing timely feedback to staff and acknowledging and rewarding success is, therefore,
essential for achieving continuous improvement. This feedback should include circulating Key
Performance Indicators and assessment / audit results, promoting all successes and giving timely
responses to all improvement suggestions (even unsuccessful ones).

Integrating Cleaner Production

Your Cleaner Production program will be more sustainable if the program is integrated into the
overall company culture. Rather than being treated as a separate project, Cleaner Production
should be integrated with and have equal status to programs such as quality assurance, health and
safely, environmental management, hazard analysis etc.

Cleaner Production should be built-in to the decision making process of the organisation. This
will mean that project that require long term commitment can be evaluated along with other
demands for capital in the company and be included in long term financial plans.

Changing the culture of a company does not happen over night but making Cleaner Production
the way people work will contribute to making your organisation a dynamic learning
environment.

Periodic Evaluation and Review

Progress towards Cleaner Production goals should be reviewed at the senior management level
on a periodic basis. Once a year should be appropriate in most cases. This should include a
detailed review of all improvements, results of monitoring programs and future plans. At the
project level, progress should be reviewed more frequently.
Including Cleaner Production responsibilities and target in staff job descriptions and
performance appraisal procedures may also be an appropriate method of periodic review that
encourages and rewards on-going involvement.
 Cleaner Production Fact Sheet
Food Manufacturing Series
General Improvement
The pace of change in the food manufacturing sector is rapid and most companies operate on
slim margins in highly competitive markets. As well as the growing importance of improving
environmental performance the continuous need to increase competitiveness makes Cleaner
Production an appealing objective for most companies.

Treating and disposing of waste once it has been generated is becoming a luxury most companies
simply cannot afford. Therefore, the focus is shifting to options that reduce waste at source as
these have the potential to integrate environmental, cost, quality and health and safety objectives.

The Food Manufacturing Cleaner Production Fact Sheets are not intended to be exhaustive. They
are designed as a starting point to get you thinking about opportunities in your operation. Best
results will come from keeping an open mind and thinking laterally and considering how each
option may be applied to your process. Further, investigating completely different processes may
spark an idea that leads to significant improvement at your company.

This Opportunity Bank deals with Cleaner Production options that may be relevant to all food
manufactures. Other Fact Sheets in the series, highlight options that are more specific to each
major food sector.

Opportunity Bank - General

Process
Issue Opportunity
Stage
Work with suppliers (e.g. growers, ingredient
and packaging suppliers, equipment
Inputs and
Modify Inputs manufactures etc.) to improve shelf-life, product
Inventory
quality, reduce packaging waste and develop
innovative options for product delivery.
Work with farmers to better grade produce so
- -
that trash and off-specification produce remains
 on-farm (i.e. minimise unnecessary transport,
storage and disposal).
Enter joint purchasing arrangement with other
companies to achieve economies of scale. Agree
- - to standardise some materials (packaging, boxes,
small parts etc.) between companies to expand
joint purchasing opportunities.
Change inputs to eliminate / reduce waste, make
them more environmentally benign, or improve
- -
reuse / recycle / treatment options (e.g. cleaning
products and other chemicals).
Integrate materials purchasing, handling,
Materials
- inventory and sales systems to enable accurate
Accounting
materials accounting.
Develop real-time resource tracking and
monitoring systems that report on wastage and
- -
variances from established efficiency
benchmarks and allow timely corrective action.
Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for
Key
resource use, waste and other environmental
- Performance
factors (e.g. energy used per dollar of output, or
Indicators
kilograms of waste per kilogram of product etc.).
Maintain an effective Just-In-Time and first in -
Inventory
- first out inventory programs to minimise shelf
Management
life losses.
Improve storage and inventory management to
- - reduce breakages or spoilage of product/raw
material.

Ingredient Install automatic dispensing equipment for small

Automatic
Dispatch / ingredient make-up to minimise the risk of batch
Control
Make-up errors and better monitor resource use.
Conduct periodic Cleaner Production /
environmental or efficiency assessment and
audits (e.g. every one to three years) for energy,
Process
Product water, wastewater, materials etc..
Control /
Preparation
Improvement
 to measure the quantity and value of
waste to the company.
 to identify the major sources of process
 waste.
 to identify bottlenecks in the process and
other operational / procedural problems.
 to identify opportunities for
improvement.

Incorporate Cleaner Production and

Financial environmental management projects /
-
Planning considerations in the company’s long term
project / financial planning process.
Regularly check on technology developments to
- Best Practice ensure the company is aware of best practice
options.
Benchmark internally and against other
- - companies to identify opportunities for
improvement.
Analyse the design and layout of plant and
equipment to identify improvement opportunities
- -
(e.g. better workflow, cleaning / maintenance
efficiency etc)..
Implement changes to help minimise liquid
waste.

 meters on high use equipment or specific

work areas to track use.
 in-line restrictors, automatic cut-off
valves or timers.
 trigger nozzles on the end of hoses.
 closed circuit cooling systems.
 high pressure gurneys for cleaning.
- Wastewater  filtering / recirculation units on crate
washers, vacuum pumps, boilers etc..
 use or improve starch plugs/ pigs in CIP
processes.
 in-line optical sensors and diverters to
distinguish between product and water to
minimise losses of both.
 install and maintain liquid level controls
with automatic pump stops, or other
devices at all points where overflows are
likely to occur.
  installation of flow control valves and an
automatic valve to interrupt the water
supply when there is a production
stoppage.
 install and maintain leak detection
equipment.
 use compressed air instead of water.
 install and maintain steam / condensate
traps.
 report and fix leaks promptly.
 use dry cleaning techniques where
possible: (e.g. scrape mixing bowls
before cleaning, pre-clean with air guns,
pre-soak equipment and floors to loosen
material, squeegee solids up and place
them in the bin).

Implement changes to help minimise solid waste.

 establish standard / optimal settings for

each shift.
 mark all valves and settings clearly to
reduce the risk that they will changed
incorrectly or set the wrong way by
inexperienced staff.
 improve process start-up / shut-down and
changeover frequency.
- Solid Waste
 dedicate mixing / production lines to
certain products to reduce changeover
cleanups.
 automatic / computerised hopper systems
for ingredient dispensing.
 modify equipment.
 optimise batch sizes.
 nstall drip pans or trays to collect drips
and spills.

Implement changes to help increase energy

efficiency or reduce use.

- Energy  switch-off programs for lights and

equipment while not in use.
 sensors to turn-off or power-down lights
and equipment when not in use.
  improved insulation on heating or cooling
lines, pipes, valves or flanges,
refrigeration systems, bottle washers and
pasteurizers etc.
 remove unnecessary inefficient
equipment or replace with more efficient
units.
 improve maintenance to maximise the
efficiency of equipment (e.g. refrigerators
and freezers).
 favour energy-efficient equipment
through the company’s purchasing
policies.
 schedule operations to reduce the peaks
in energy demand to minimise penalty
rates.
 schedule operations or use equipment that
can utilise off-peak energy.
 capture low grade energy to use
elsewhere in the operation.
 convert from incandescent bulbs to
energy efficient fluorescent bulbs (e.g.
Mercury vapor lamps for outside use,
High-pressure sodium-vapor lamps for
street lighting, parking lot lighting, and
outdoor security lighting, Low-pressure
sodium vapor lamps for inside buildings).

Identify opportunities to derive energy from an

alternative source.

 natural gas.
 on-site solar or wind energy.
- -  participation in ‘green energy’ programs.
 conversion of biomass to energy
including anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis
and gasification.
 co-generate energy on-site.

Reduce paper wastage:

General Office
-  post circulars on prominent notice boards
Waste
rather than sending individual copies.
 manage mailing lists to avoid
 duplications and errors.
 reformat faxes to omit cover sheets.
 reformat documents to reduce length
(margins, page length).
 circulate documents electronically (Email
and internet) or on disk.
 reduce hard copies by storing common
documents (QA Manuals, Newsletters
etc) on a network.
 encourage staff not to print Email
messages.
 computer fax software that doesn't
require paper to send facsimiles.
 edit drafts electronically before printing.
 remove the company’s name from
unwanted direct-mailing lists.
 put newspapers and magazines on
circulation or place them in tea rooms
rather than buying individual copies.

Purchase less toxic and non-toxic alternatives to

potentially harmful office materials.

 reusable pump-spray bottles rather than

aerosol spray cans.
- -  non-toxic cleaning products with content
in large reusable containers.
 home-made cleaners such as vinegar and
baking soda.
 unbleached paper products.

Buy reusable stationary:

 envelopes with metal clasps or see

through windows for inter-office mail.
- -
 mechanical pencils and refillable pens.
 refillable tape dispensers.
 updateable, erasable wall calendars.

Minimise lunchroom and bathroom waste:

- -
 use non-disposable crockery and cutlery
etc.
  encourage staff not to being packaging to
work (e.g. use lunch boxes and
thermoses).
 avoid purchasing or using vending
machines that dispense disposable cup.
 use cloth hand towels or air dryers rather
than paper towels.

Undertake preventative maintenance. Keep

maintenance history cards for all equipment.
Maintain a regular schedule to service plant
- Maintenance equipment which is based on the optimum life of
critical parts (e.g. balancing the cost of
replacement and the cost of inefficiency /
shutdowns etc.).

Improved Simplify the distribution chain or work with the

Dispatch and
Chain members of the chain to improve delivery
Distribution
Management efficiency.
Establish a cold chain to maintain product
- -
quality and minimise waste / risk.
Identify opportunities or reuse materials in the
process:

 clean wastewater streams (e.g. can post-

cleaning rinses be used as make-up water
Re-use and
Reuse for sanitizing and/or cleaning).
Recycling
 regenerate used lubricants and caustics
(e.g. caustic settling tanks, filtering etc.).
 collect solids and reincorporate into the
product.

Develop arrangements with suppliers to take

back and re-use their shipping boxes / pallets etc.
- -
or work with them to develop new delivery
systems (e.g. bulk).
Identify waste exchange programs in the local
- Recycling area or other opportunities to share wastes with
other companies.
Purchase material-handling / recycling
- -
equipment (e.g. balers, shredders or compactors)
 to improve efficiency of handling recyclables.
Provide separate bins to enable proper
segregation and reuse / recycling of waste (e.g.
- -
paper/cardboard, plactic, polystyrene, metals and
general food waste etc.).
Identify other opportunities for waste (going to
landfill or sewer) to be segregated and put to
beneficial use.

 reprocessed into the current operation or

- -
as inputs into other processes.
 in another company’s operation.
 made into a by-product for human
consumption.
 converted to a food source for animals
(e.g. pig farms).
 recycling companies (e.g. composting or
vermiculture (worm farms), paper /
plastic/ glass recyclers etc.).
 putting unwanted materials and
equipment in an area where staff can take
them home.
 as a donation (schools, charity etc.).

Identify opportunities where on-site wastewater

Waste
On-site treatment will reduce the overall cost of disposal
Treatment and
Treatment (screening, physical separation, biological
Disposal
removal etc.)
Reduce the amount of solid waste being lost to
the wastewater stream.

 segregate high strength wastewaters (e.g.

from CIP and mixing tanks) and handle /
Primary
treat / dispose separately.
- Screening /
 install and maintain sieves / screens on all
segregation
drains.
 remove any solids from the wastewater
before disposal - install a screen /
hydrosieve etc.

- Storm Water Segregate storm and sewer water (e.g. covering

 Management washbays, installing diverters in washbay drains
etc.) to avoid unnecessary treatment and disposal
costs..

Marketing / Use the company’s Cleaner Production

Product Promotion achievements as a marketing tool (e.g. trade and
Improvement consumer advertising, packaging etc.)
Incorporate Cleaner Production / environmental
considerations into the design stage of new
- Redesign
products or when purchasing and commissioning
new plant and equipment.
Redesign products and processes to make them
inherently cleaner (e.g. by designing out toxic
- -
materials, eliminate / reduce waste or increase
recycleability).

Improved
Redesign products to make them more efficient /
- Product
less wasteful for the end user.
Performance
 Cleaner Production Fact Sheet
Food Manufacturing Series
Dairy Manufacturing
Dairy processors produce a wide range of milk products. Fluid milk products include bottled and
packaged milk (whole, pasteurized, skim, UHT etc.), flavored milk, buttermilk, egg nog, yogurt,
cream etc. Other dairy products include butter, butter oil, curds, cheese and cheese spreads,
condensed and powdered milk, malted milk, ice cream, lactose, and whey products.

Typical sources of waste include:

 CIP Processes, washing, cleaning and sanitizing of all piping, pumps, processing
equipment, tanks, tank trucks and filling machines;
 start-up, product changeover and shut down of High Temperature and Short Time
(HTST) and Ultra High Temperature (UHT) pasteurizers;
 loss in filling operations through equipment jams and broken packages; and
 lubrication of casers, stackers and conveyors.

In the dairy products processing facility environment, the major sources of pollution and
associated pollutants are:

 Washing and cleaning out of products remaining in the processing equipment and storage
vessels (dairy products, detergents, and sanitisers);
 Spillage and processing losses of products (dairy products);
 Wastage of spoiled, returned, and by-products (dairy products);
 Vehicle and equipment maintenance (fuel, lubricants, chemicals);
 Site cleanup (washwater).

The following Opportunity Bank should provide a starting point to generate options for your
operation.

Opportunity Bank - Dairy Processing

Process
Issue Opportunity
Stage
Inputs and Improve the quality control of the herd and
Modify Inputs
Inventory milk storage temperatures on farm and in
 transit.
Store all materials under cover to ensure
Inventory
- there is no product loss or damage during
Management
rain.
Implement storage control procedures (e.g
cheese vats, ice cream mix vats, cooling
- - tanks etc.) to ensure that they are not filled to
such a high level that spillage will occur
when the product is agitated.

Ingredient Improve systems of handling and transfer of

Process
Dispatch / Make- dry bulk materials (e.g. use pneumatic
Improvement
up conveying systems).
Develop appropriate systems to prevent milk
foam from going into sewer. Common
sources of excessive foaming are open-type
Product Process Control /
separators, splashing when filling tanks, air
Preparation Improvement
sucked in through leaky connections in lines
under partial vacuum, through leaky packing
and through faulty rotary seals or pumps.
Improve temperature control systems (e.g.
- -
on plate, tubular, or surface coolers).
Thoroughly drain all lines, tanks, and
- - processing vats before rinsing and rinse
before product dries on surface.
Improve clarification / separation processes
- - (e.g. through improved centrifugal devices
or mechanical filters).
Install a product-recovery system to collect
- -
products at time of change over.
Improve in-process cleaning practices (e.g.
- Housekeeping sweep up all spilled cheese curd particles
from the floor).
Reclaim spilled dry bulk materials (e.g.
Dispatch and
Housekeeping sugar and nuts) - mechanical sweepers, dry
Distribution
sweeping or washdown for small spills.

Re-use and Recover entrainment loss (e.g. from

Reuse
Recycling condensed and evaporated milk processes)

- -
- -
- -
- -
- Recycling
Waste Treatment
Segregation
and Disposal
Primary
- bag type filters in the floor drains in the
Screening
from evaporators and boil over.
Capture and return evaporator condensate to
the process.
Reuse process water from high volume
pasteurizing units.
Identify opportunities to recover heat (e.g.
boilers, pasteurisation units, evaporators
etc.).
Collect and recover products from faulty /
broken packages. Return material to
processing line, use as animal feed or for
other uses.
Identify opportunities to utilise whey.
 collect, reuse and/or concentrate
whey on-site,
 process whey - reverse osmosis,
evaporation, and spray drying.
 collect and ship whey off-site for
processing.
 develop new markets for whey solids
or other by-products.
Segregate strong acid or alkali waste streams
and use them for cost effective pH control
during wastewater treatment.
Install appropriate screens on all drains (e.g.
cottage cheese room).