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2005 Progress Report: Moving Toward Sustainable Manufacturing Through Efficient Materials & Energy Use

EPA Grant Number: X3832203
Title: Moving Toward Sustainable Manufacturing Through Efficient Materials & Energy Use
Investigators: Goldberg, Terri , Reibstein, Rick , Richard, Paul
Current Investigators: Goldberg, Terri
Institution: New England Waste Management Officials Association , Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance
Current Institution: Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association
EPA Project Officer: Bauer, Diana
Project Period: October 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005
Project Amount: $278,000
RFA: Collaborative Science & Technology Network for Sustainability (2004)
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Description:

Objective:

For more than 15 years since the passage of the Pollution Prevention Act, manufacturers and government agencies consistently have faced the challenge of poor information systems for evaluating pollution prevention (P2) opportunities. Successful pollution prevention is based on an entity’s ability to understand and improve its choice and use of materials and the associated financial impacts.

The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) and the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance (MA OTA) for Toxics Use Reduction currently are collaborating to develop and test a materials use and profitability software tool. The project builds on the current application of environmental management accounting as a critical aspect of sustainable production and P2.

The primary beneficiaries of this project are those companies and organizations that implement this environmental management accounting tool to aid them in setting P2 priorities, identifying value-added opportunities for sustainable production, and implementing other materials and energy efficiency improvements. State and local environmental and technical assistance programs and private sector consultants also will benefit by having the tool to help their client companies identify P2 opportunities and quantify the benefits and costs.

Progress Summary:

During this budget period, NEWMOA, in partnership with the MA OTA, focused on reaching out to a wide cross section of potential stakeholders to gather ideas and information and to form a project Advisory Group. The list of Advisory Group members can be found at http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/advisory.cfm exit EPA. NEWMOA held a conference call with the Advisory Group for the EMFACT project on December 16, 2005, and a meeting on January 10, 2006. The notes from these meetings are available at http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/advisory.cfm exit EPA. The purpose of these meetings was to bring together a stakeholder group that represents a wide variety of interests to provide comments and suggestions on the EMFACT project and the proposed software tool. The Advisory Group includes representatives of large and small manufacturers, state agencies, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, trade organizations, software development and other consultants, and nongovernmental organizations.

To prepare for the meetings, NEWMOA and MA OTA met numerous times to identify possible members of the group and to plan the conference call and meeting. As part of this effort, the two groups developed a visual straw portrayal of the tool, its various components, and the links between them as a basis for discussion and comment. The groups also prepared various summaries and presentations on the project, which are available at http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/advisory.cfm exit EPA.

To solicit additional ideas and suggestions on the EMFACT project, NEWMOA and MA OTA staff met with several Massachusetts-based small-to medium-sized manufacturers to discuss the tool and view software tools that they have used or developed that offer some of the same functionality as the proposed EMFACT tool. In particular, the offices visited Allego MicroSystems, Inc. and Westfield Plating in February 2006 to view their homegrown software applications for tracking the materials, chemicals, and the associated wastes and releases at their facilities. The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) staffs at these companies have developed sophisticated systems that are critical to their EHS success.

In January 2006, NEWMOA and MA OTA presented the project during a Toxics Use Reduction Planners Association (TURPA) meeting and solicited ideas and input on the project. The TURPA is an organization of environmental consultants and EHS staff members who have received certification as toxics use reduction planners under the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act. The TURPA members include corporate EHS staff and consultants who help companies develop or certify their toxics use reduction plans. There was a lively discussion about the EMFACT project during the meeting, with a lot of interest expressed in the tool and its functions.

MA OTA and NEWMOA staff also met with a group of companies that have formed an eco-efficiency network as part of their involvement in a commercial business and industrial park that has developed on a former military site in Devens, Massachusetts, in January 2006. This network includes a variety of interesting businesses from medium-sized manufacturers of commodity and high technology projects to smaller service businesses, like printers. The members of this group also provided a lot of interesting ideas and suggestions for the project.

NEWMOA prepared a summary of many of the key points that were raised during these meetings in a PowerPoint presentation that is available on the Web at http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/advisory.cfm exit EPA.

Future Activities:

During the next 6-month period, NEWMOA and MA OTA will focus on procuring the necessary consulting services to support the development of the software tool.

The following tasks are underway and will be completed during the next reporting period ( April 1, 2006 – March 31, 2007):

The project investigators’ goal is to have a contract in place by November 2006. The development of the final RFR has taken much more time than originally anticipated. The process of reaching out through meetings and conducting a survey of potential users has been extremely valuable in considering various options for the EMFACT tool and highlighting challenges in the project. These options have proved critical in drafting a clear and effective RFR.

Supplemental Keywords:

environmental management accounting, materials accounting, pollution prevention, sustainable industry/business, materials flow, cleaner production, waste reduction, eco-efficiency, EMFACT, , INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, TREATMENT/CONTROL, Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, RFA, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, waste reduction, Technology, Energy, Ecology and Ecosystems, Economics and Business, energy conservation, clean manufacturing designs, cleaner production, life cycle analysis, clean technologies, green design, sustainable development, environmental accounting, environmentally conscious manufacturing, pollution prevention assessment, green process systems, toxic use reduction, software tool, alternative materials, source reduction
Relevant Websites:

http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/advisory.cfm exit EPA

Progress and Final Reports:
Original Abstract
2006 Progress Report

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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