Circular business operations at WUR: a new look at raw materials and waste management
Circular business operations at WUR: a new look at raw materials and waste management
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) wants to make its business operations fully circular. An important element of this ambition is implementing circular waste and raw materials management. To help achieve this, the university signed a ten-year agreement with PreZero and Witteveen+Bos.
WUR aims to halve its use of raw materials by 2030. There are various possible ways to achieve this: by using fewer products, making smarter use of products, or using or reusing products and their components longer, either at WUR or elsewhere.
Following the expiration of a number of waste collection and processing contracts, WUR decided to look for a more intensive form of collaboration. Ultimately, it determined that the best partners to help it oversee material flow management at WUR were the circular waste and raw materials processor PreZero and the consultancy and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos.
One component of this programme is a pilot involving electric hand dryers. Currently, WUR uses paper towels. Its aim, however, is to use fewer primary raw materials and reduce the amount of waste that needs to be incinerated.
On this pilot, Witteveen+Bos and PreZero first identified all incoming and outgoing raw material flows. This revealed that paper towels accounted for 18 % of the total waste on the WUR campus. ‘Our investigation demonstrated that electric hand dryers would be the most sustainable alternative,’ explains Rachel Looijenga from Witteveen+Bos. ‘Electric hand drying has the lowest environmental impact because, among other things, it doesn’t require paper or cotton to be produced. As well as investigating the use of these raw materials, we also looked at the production, maintenance and lifespans of the dryers.’
Preventing waste
In the collaboration agreement between these parties, the approach taken involves reducing the use of raw materials throughout the entire use cycle: preventing waste rather than identifying as many waste streams as possible. The goal is to reduce the incineration and low-value recycling of waste materials by 50 %. Adapting processes related to purchasing and operations will also decrease the amount of waste and the associated costs, which will free up resources that can be used for innovative circular solutions.
Improvement proposals
As part of the agreement, PreZero will focus on the back end: reuse and recycling. Witteveen+Bos will be responsible for the front end. Our experts will analyse the entire raw materials chain – from purchasing to waste – and record it in a digital material flow management model. They will then deliver practical proposals for making the chain more sustainable and more circular. Field labs will be established to investigate opportunities, and business cases will be developed for any promising measures. We will then offer support during decision-making and implementation processes and conduct monitoring activities. Together, WUR and its partners are going to close the cycle!
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