Material Use
Resource Center Links
Environmental Improvement Categories
Environmental Management Systems
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Facilities can make material use improvements by reducing total materials required in production processes, packaging, and facility operations; minimizing hazardous materials use; and substituting recycled or reused materials for virgin materials where possible. The Performance Track program encourages applicants and members to report on material use improvements in the aspects listed below. Examples of appropriate measures are also provided.
Indicators | Units |
---|---|
Total Materials Used (total or specific) |
|
Hazardous Materials Used (total or specific) | |
Recycled/Reused Materials Used |
In order to improve material use, Performance Track members are:
- reducing consumption of office paper by converting to electronic systems
- closing production loops to enable reuse of waste materials
- repairing machinery to prevent leaks of raw materials and products
- using alternative, less toxic chemicals during processing
- substituting non-hazardous materials in product design
- replacing equipment to eliminate the use of hazardous substances
- increasing recycled/reused materials content in products and packaging
- expanding the use of recycled and reused materials in construction
View a table of common strategies used by Performance Track members to reduce hazardous materials use (PDF) (1 pp, 132K)
Other strategies to improve material use include:
- product light-weighting
- reducing packaging
- increasing the durability of products and manufacturing equipment
Bottom-line benefits of improving material use efficiency can include cost savings for:
- Product materials (e.g., product components and chemical formulations)
- Packaging (including primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging materials)
- Waste disposal fees
EPA and many non-governmental organizations, trade groups, and companies collect and share information on techniques and tools for improving a facility's material use. The links provided below highlight sources of information on the following topics:
- Conversion and Contextual Factors for Materials Use
- General Resources
- Eco-Efficiency
- Green Chemistry
- Environmentally Preferable Packaging
- Recycled Product Purchasing
- Green Building Design
- Ozone Depleting Substances
Disclaimer: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides this information as a free and open service to the public. EPA does not endorse any company or product identified on this or any subsequent pages listed herein, and makes no claims regarding the accuracy, validity, or effectiveness of this or any other product or service represented by these data.
If you would like to suggest additional resources to feature on this website, please email a description of the site (including what topics the site addresses) and the URL to hamilton.luctrician@epa.gov.
Conversion and Contextual Factors for Material Use
Methods to convert non-standard
measurement units into standard units, and
methods to convert environmental improvements
into commonly understood contexts, can be
found in the links below:
- Conversion factors (e.g. the weight of
a typical 40" x 48" wooden shipping pallet)
To calculate the weight of paper, use information from this table. For example, one ream of paper equals 500 sheets. Letter sized paper has a basis size of 17" x 22" and is cut into 4 pages per sheet. Thus, to determine weight for a package of letter sized paper, divide the "gsm or g/m2" weight by four.
To calculate the weight of mercury in everyday applications: one mercury thermostat contains 3.0 grams of mercury, or 0.01 pounds. See also the Energy Star Report on Mercury Levels in Light Bulbs.
One "typical" 40" by 48" wooden shipping pallet weighs 45 pounds (Source: Protecta-Pack Systems).
One gallon of PERC (perchloroethylene) equals 13.47 pounds (Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment).
- Contextual factors
According to EPA's Office of Solid Waste, approximately 7.6 billion tons of industrial solid waste are produced on average per year from 60,000 facilities. This is approximately 126,700 tons per facility.
According to EPA's Office of Solid Waste, 69.9 million tons of material were recycled in 2000. This 69.9 million tons consisted of: paper and paperboard (39.4 million tons, recycled at 45.4%); metals (6.4 million tons, recycled at 35.4%); and various other wastes (34.1 million tons).
General Resources
EPA's Environmental Accounting Project is designed to help businesses understand the full spectrum of their environmental costs and integrate these costs into decision-making. The website provides links to environmental accounting reports, software tools, and case studies. Among the resources provided is a booklet entitled The Lean and Green Supply Chain: A Practical Guide for Material Managers and Supply Chain Managers to Reduce Costs and Improve Environmental Performance (PDF) (58 pp, 7.7MB) The booklet includes a materials management success story.
The
Materials Accounting Project (MAP)
of the National Pollution Prevention
Roundtable (NPPR) is a pilot project to
conduct case studies of industry experience
with materials accounting and demonstrate
where materials accounting is most and least
effective in promoting pollution
prevention.
INFORM
is an independent research organization
that has evaluated greener alternatives to
PBTs (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic
substances) and conventional cleaning
chemicals, in addition to other material
substitutes.
Eco-Efficiency
Measuring
Eco-Efficiency: A Guide to Reporting Company
Performance (PDF, 442KB, 38 pp,
About
PDF)
by the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development provides suggestions
for how to measure materials consumption,
including potential data sources.
Understanding
a Process with Process Mapping (PDF,
652KB, 11 pp,
About
PDF)
explores and explains process mapping, a
tool to understand and assess facility
processes as a first step towards pollution
prevention. A process map offers a convenient
way to keep track of materials use and
loss.
EPA's Design for the Environment Program (DfE) is a voluntary, partnership program that works directly with industries and other partners to incorporate environmental considerations into the design and redesign of products, processes, and technical and management systems. This page includes links to sector-specific resources.
The
World Business Council for Sustainable
Development's Eco-Efficiency Case Study
Collection
describes corporate case studies that
illustrate how eco-efficiency leads to three
core business opportunities: cost savings,
risk management, and business expansion.
The
Journal of Industrial Ecology
addresses a series of related topics:
material and energy flows studies;
dematerialization and decarbonization;
life-cycle planning, design and assessment;
design for the environment; extended producer
responsibility; eco-industrial parks;
product-oriented environmental policy; and
eco-efficiency.
The
Center for Clean Products and Clean
Technologies
maintains a variety of projects
(primarily focusing on the automobile
manufacturing, electronics, printing, and
chemical industries) that encourage waste
prevention through design and manufacturing
changes. This web page also explores the
topics of extended product responsibility,
environmental evaluation, and environmental
labeling.
Green Chemistry
EPA's Green Engineering Program provides software tools, case studies, and workshops to help educators, industry, and chemical engineers incorporate risk prevention concepts into the design of chemical processes and products.
EPA's Green Chemistry Program promotes innovative technologies that reduce the use or generation of toxic chemicals in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products.
SAGE, The
Solvent Alternative Guide
, provides an interactive form through
which users can evaluate their degreasing and
part cleaning processes and identify
alternative processes and solvents that are
less environmentally damaging.
Environmentally Preferable Packaging
EPA's Packaging Website contains descriptions of and links to numerous initiatives for reducing packing waste.
The
Alliance for Environmental Innovation
reports on its partnerships with
industry to develop and encourage
environmentally preferably packaging, which
can increase transportation efficiency.
Especially noteworthy are the documents
detailing packaging research the Alliance
performed in cooperation with the overnight
shipping industry.
NYC WasteLe$$, a comprehensive citywide
waste prevention and environmental public
awareness program, provides
Pursuing
Preferable Packaging
tips to help businesses devise
strategies for improving product packaging,
preventing packaging waste, and reducing
product sales costs.
Recycled Product Purchasing
The
Model Procurement Plan
developed by King County, Washington
serves as a prototype procurement plan for
organizations wishing to support markets for
recycled and other environmentally preferred
products.
Pennsylvania
Resources Council's Listings of Recycled
Products Directories
includes contact information for
recycled material suppliers.
Buy
Recycled Business Alliance
provides a 16-page list identifying
suppliers of a large array of building
products with recycled content.
The non-profit Alliance for Environmental
Innovation and Businesses for Social
Responsibility provide guidance on purchasing
recycled paper in the report
Make
that Recycled: A Buyers Guide to Recycled
Coated Freesheet Paper (PDF, 44KB, 6pp,
About
PDF)
.
Green Building Design
Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Network(EREN)
demonstrates green building practices
related to improving materials use, including
principles, programs, rating systems, success
stories, educational material, and contacts
for further information.
The
Smart
Growth Network
provides links to information resources
on green building, including materials use
and reuse, deconstruction, and construction
waste management.
Ozone Depleting Substances
Annexes A-E of the
Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer
list controlled Ozone Depleting
Substances as well as quantifications of
their ozone-depleting potential.
"
Twenty
Questions and Answers About the Ozone
Layer" (PDF, 2.1MB, 39 pp,
About
PDF)
, Answer 11, presents a list of the
ozone depleting potential of common Ozone
Depleting Substances.