Cutting the distance that waste has to travel
One of the key waste objectives outlined at the end of 2020 was to find a waste service provider closer to Angoulême, and in 2021, this aim was achieved: as part of a restructuring of the common waste procedure, which includes wood, cardboard, scrap metal, and green waste, the team connected with a local partner so that the distance waste needs to travel is now three times lower. This small change reduces the waste transportation distance by 2,170 km, lowering the carbon footprint by 105 tons of CO2 per year.
The 3 Rs: ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’
Across the plant, new waste management systems were put in place. Through this process, Rousselot Angoulême made a real difference to the way waste is treated at the plant. Here are some of the key projects:
- Reducing cardboard consumption:
As part of our effective raw material supply management, our team often needs to freeze material to use at a later date, 24/7. To reduce waste during the freezing process, we have replaced cardboard freezing containers with reusable plastic containers. This simple, but effective change, reduces cardboard consumption by 22 tons per year.
- Reusing packaging waste through partnerships:
We are partnering with our suppliers, who now recover and reuse empty packaging containers from the industrial detergents used in the facility’s cleaning process. This effort will avoid wasting 2.8 tons of packaging, representing a value of €5,400.
- Recycling more than ever:
As an insufficient amount of our waste was recycled, our teams in Angoulême joined forces with local partners to improve this. In total, 30 tons of cardboard and 22 tons of scrap metal were recycled by our partners over the year, representing a trade-in value of €3,700.
After implementing these good practices, Rousselot Angoulême is now focusing on improving sorting by adding sorting bins to tertiary premises like offices.
How to reduce waste? Work together
Rousselot Angoulême’s work with the Material Efficiency Pact highlights how smart solutions and collaborations lead to more sustainable production processes.
‘Working with the Material Efficiency Pact has enabled us to question ourselves even more about how we can recover our waste’, explains Isabelle Vandewalle, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Rousselot Angoulême. ‘By working with local players as well as other industrial companies to exchange ideas and best practices. We can limit waste and ensure responsible production processes that are better for the planet and for people.’
The players behind the Pact
The project was started in 2020 by public and private entities:
- Grand Angoulême (Angoulême city urban community)
- CCI Charente (Chamber of Commerce for Charente)
- Regional Association, Soltena
- Public waste service, Calitom
- National Agency for Ecological Transition, ADEME
Together, they partnered to help companies in different sectors promote eco-friendly activities.
