DISPOSAL
SUPPLIERS’ PERFORMANCE
Earlier this year, business sustainability ratings rm EcoVadis
launched a carbon action module, which is claimed to empower
organisations to drive climate action at scale by engaging their
value chain trading partners in decarbonisation.
One of the greatest challenges for many companies on
that road is the extent to which emissions occur upstream and
downstream in their value chains, it says. Furthermore, recent
research from EcoVadis shows there is a shortfall in supplier carbon reporting
and action across the supply chain. This module enables EcoVadis customers to
collect and analyse critical data points, optimise strategy, and collaborate with
their value chain partners to measure and cut emissions to meet commitments.
All value chain trading partners who complete the EcoVadis Rating process
will get a carbon rating and scorecard. Suppliers will get a detailed view of their
carbon management capability, while buyers who are subscribed to the Carbon
Action Module will get a shared view of supplier scorecards and performance.
“The Carbon Action Module taps into and extends the technology, data
and network that we have been re ning for over 14 years in our sustainability
intelligence suite,” said Frédéric Trinel, co-CEO of EcoVadis. That service involves
tracking and rating companies’ performance in four areas: environment, ethics,
labour & human rights, sustainable procurement & carbon.
to meet Paris climate objectives would
require the consumption more than the
known global reserves for many of these
critical metals. With signi cant e orts, it
is expected we will be able to identify and
exploit su cient reserves to make the
energy transition. However, continued
use of these technologies will be entirely
dependent on the development of a
circular economy.
WASTE TO ENERGY
For signi cant streams of organic waste,
such as sewage and food waste, waste
to energy undoubtedly has a crucial role
to play. Such organic waste is processed
by digesters to produce high-quality
organic fertilizer and methane gas. This
gas is highly valuable in a decarbonised
economy, since it can either provide longterm
storage for dispatchable power, or
high-density energy storage or longrange
transport. These functions cannot
easily be provided by combining batteries
and intermittent renewable generation.
Where the value of waste to energy is
more debatable is the high-temperature
incineration of mixed waste streams,
often containing plastics. Energy is
generally recovered from incinerators
by boiling water for conventional steam
turbine electricity generation. Additional
heat energy may also be recovered for
district heating or industrial process
heat applications. This can have the
added bene t of providing dispatchable
power in a renewables-intensive grid.
Following incineration, there may be
some further recovery of materials such
as metals for recycling. Such incinerators
must be closely monitored for the levels
of particulates, nitrogen oxides (NOx),
sulphur dioxide (SO2), heavy metals and
dioxins released. The y ash residue,
which can be as much as 5% of the
original waste volume, must be treated as
toxic waste.
Waste-to-energy (incineration) can
play a role in some de nitions of zero
waste, although care must be taken
that this does not create excessive air
pollution. The Zero Waste International
Alliance (ZWIA) does not consider
burning of waste to be a zero-waste
practice. It de nes zero waste as follows:
“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.”
Kitaychik has a slightly more exible
view. She says: “Recycling is an important
method to achieve zero waste, but it is
not the only one: reuse, reclamation,
identifying commercial uses or donating
materials that would otherwise be
considered waste in a company context
are also available methods. Ultimately,
when possible, the best method of
waste prevention is through redesigning
products and processes to stop the
creation of waste in the rst place. Waste
to energy is also a method accepted
in various degrees, though it is more
problematic due to potential releases
of air pollutants and should be tightly
controlled.”
There are already signi cant tax
incentives to reduce waste. However,
once the quick wins where waste is
relatively easy to eliminate are achieved,
be warned that more challenging areas
usually remain. The tax savings alone
aren’t su ciently compelling to eliminate
this residual waste, which would often be
more expensive to recycle than to send to
land ll.
“Ultimately, when possible, the best method
of waste prevention is through redesigning
products and processes to stop the creation
of waste in the rst place”
Winter 2021 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 45
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