Manufacturing processes generate tons of waste annually, which normally are not managed properly. Developing sustainable business models based on circularity and zero waste manufacturing must be one of the most important sustainable objectives for all industries.

Zero waste manufacturing is closely related to the different circular economy solutions that the fashion industry is aiming for reducing its huge amount of waste produced as one of the biggest polluting industries.

Definition of zero waste manufacturing

One of the best ways to manage waste is by adopting zero waste policies in your business model. If a company does not generate any type of waste, less effort and resources are needed to manage them. But for the best part of manufacturers, it is not possible to avoid waste production. Using circular solutions such as Recovo’s deadstock fabrics marketplace are some of the solutions to become zero waste.

According to Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), zero waste follows the next definition:

“The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”

ZERO WASTE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE, 2020

How to reduce manufacturing waste?

There are several ways to reduce manufacturing waste, most of them related to how the materials are treated and how efficient the production process is. Depending on the industry, there will be different ways to optimize those processes to reduce waste production or be more responsible about them.

Zero Waste through machinery optimization

Nowadays, most of the manufacturing processes come from machinery, and so manufacturing waste also. Automatization and on-demand machinery have been some of the most successful advances for zero waste manufacturing, designing them according to product characteristics and making them more efficient.

Zero Waste through process changes

This is one of the cheapest ways to reduce waste production. Acquiring the most advanced and personalized machinery could be unachievable for some companies because of their high cost. However, some processes can be modified to reduce considerably the waste produced by a company. For example, a good stock management system such as Recovo’s SaaS for fashion companies makes them reduce their raw material consumption, reuse other deadstock, and minimize product inventory.

Zero Waste through the choice of materials

Science is constantly discovering new sustainable materials that can be used by several industries derived from recycled or bio-based materials, for example. Exploring different ways to build products excluding plastics and other petrol-based materials is one of the most important points that governments are focusing their attention on. New legislation that promotes sustainable materials and society’s increasing demand for more sustainable products, zero waste manufacturing is also a purchase reason for a growing part of society.

Zero Waste through Manufacturing

For some industries, reducing their waste production by changing manufacturing processes is one of the most difficult ways to completely cut their waste production.

Some of the most common ways to change manufacturing processes to reduce waste production are reusing, recycling, recovering, or repurposing the products and materials involved in manufacturing processes.

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