How Economic Recessions Challenge Sustainability Initiatives

by CleanRobotics | May 25, 2023 | Smart Waste Management

Inflation, unemployment, bank collapses, economic fluctuations, and the threat of a recession are creating a world of uncertainty. Companies have responded to this uncertainty with layoffs and cost-cutting measures. But how does the state of the economy impact a company’s sustainability efforts?  
  

Sustainability is challenging and seems even more so during economic recessions. However, history shows that putting sustainability commitments on the back burner is wrong and bad for business. This article will explore the connection between recessions and sustainability and strategies to maintain sustainable initiatives during an economic downturn. 

The Current Picture

We are going through one of the most economically intense and uncertain times in the last few decades. We face three extremely challenging situations: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and inflation. This has led to a turbulent stock market, higher interest rates, fewer startups, and a looming crypto winter.  

The Historical Impact of Recessions on Sustainability Initiatives 

The current economic picture might seem demotivating, but there is a bright side. Tough times often lead to a new generation of companies that thrive. Throughout history, the impact of economic recessions on sustainability initiatives has been mixed. While some companies deprioritize sustainability during an economic downturn, there have also been companies that have become more sustainable.   

Sustainability does not mean that a company must deprioritize everything else. Instead, sustainability can help companies survive and recover from recessions. A paper on the impact of corporate sustainability explored this concept. Half of the 180 companies studied identified sustainability as core to their corporate strategy from about 1993. The other half adopted no sustainable practices. The results showed that $1 in an equally weighted portfolio of the first 90 companies in 1992 would have grown to $22.60 by the end of 2010, while the investment rose to only $15.40 for the other 90 companies.  

During the 2008 financial crisis, some companies adopted sustainable practices that helped them reduce costs and improve operational efficiency. For example, many companies implemented energy-efficient solutions that reduced their carbon footprint and saved money on utility bills. 

The COVID-19 pandemic also helped companies realize the importance of sustainability. It revealed the frailty of our global economy and society and reminded us that our identities are deeply entangled with that of our ecosystem. People learned that adopting sustainable practices like natural and non-toxic products will reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and pollutants, leading to better health outcomes. Supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty also encourage people to rethink spending habits and prioritize more sustainable and environment-friendly purchases.  

The extent to which economic recessions affect a company’s sustainability pursuits depends on various factors, including the duration and severity of the downturn, the prevailing condition of the industry and market, and the leadership and priorities of individual companies.   

Strategies to Maintain Sustainability Initiatives During Economic Recessions

In a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, nearly one-third (34%) of the respondents believed that the environment should be prioritized even at the cost of the economy. However, it can be difficult for companies to prioritize sustainability in a recession. Here are a few strategies to help companies maintain sustainability initiatives during economic recessions. 

Focus on the Bigger Picture

During an economic recession, cost reduction is generally the highest priority. This is why your sustainability initiatives must align with your cost reduction goals. Sustainability initiatives often require some upfront investment but are cost-efficient in the long run. A few great ways to promote sustainability and reduce costs are by implementing resource-efficient processes and optimizing energy usage.   

“Numerous studies show that companies with strong CSR goals and focus outperform their counterparts during economic downturns, including the 2008 recession. And they recover more quickly.” — Trisa Thompson, CRO at Dell Technologies  

Engage Your Stakeholders and Board  

Engaging stakeholders and the board is essential to make the most of your sustainability efforts. Stakeholders like customers, employees, and suppliers can help maintain sustainability during economic turbulence.   

“Board oversight and putting board-related governance structures in place are not only more common, they are required under SASB and other initiatives.” — Ellen Weinreb, co-founder of Sustainability Veterans  

Communicate the Benefits of Sustainability   

It’s crucial to communicate the benefits of sustainability to stakeholders. It will make collaboration easier, and you can share ideas and find opportunities as a team.  

Explore New Opportunities  

“Recessions may put options on the table that would not be considered in normal times. Seize opportunities for more substantive redesign.” — Bart Alexander

An economic recession is a challenging time for individuals and organizations and an excellent time to explore new opportunities. There are many ways companies can use a recession to explore sustainability initiatives.   

1. Focusing on energy efficiency can help organizations reduce their carbon footprint and save costs simultaneously. For example, installing energy-efficient lighting, appliances, and new HVAC systems, and implementing policies to reduce energy consumption.   

2. Invest in renewable energy projects like solar panels and wind turbines to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and save money. The upfront costs associated with renewable energy systems may be higher than traditional energy sources, but the long-term savings and benefits can be significant.   

3. Implement a circular economy ethos by designing products and systems that minimize waste and maximize resource use. This could involve the use of recycled materials, implementing closed-loop systems, smart waste management, or designing products that can be repaired and reused. Circular economy practices can help businesses reduce costs and create a more sustainable business model.  

4. Support local and sustainable supply chains by sourcing materials regionally, supporting fair trade practices, and considering the entire lifecycle of your materials. Supply chains often get disrupted during a recession, and by supporting local suppliers, businesses can build supply chains that are resilient and better equipped to weather economic downturns.   

Conclusion  

Economic recessions present a variety of challenges to sustainability. Organizations will typically prioritize financial stability over sustainable operations. However, it’s essential to recognize that sustainability and economic growth are not mutually exclusive, and pursuing sustainable practices can lead to economic benefits in the long run. Moreover, investing in sustainability initiatives during a recession can create jobs and stimulate economic activity, providing a pathway for recovery.  

Policymakers and businesses must work together to incentivize and develop strategies to support sustainability. Ultimately, a healthy economy depends heavily on a healthy planet.  

The Role of Data and Technology in Improving Landfill Operations

by CleanRobotics | Apr 25, 2023 | Smart Waste Management

Landfills have been around for centuries. The very first landfill dates back 3,000 BC to Knossos, Crete (modern-day Greece), where people used to dig holes in the ground to dispose of refuse. Currently, the U.S. represents nearly 4% of the world population but is responsible for 12% of the global municipal solid waste (MSW). The current recycling rate in the U.S. is 32%, and more than half of the MSW still ends up in landfills.  

This article discusses landfills, their impact, and how data and technologies can help maximize landfill operations and reduce emissions. 

Landfill Emissions and Their Impacts  

Landfills are designed mainly to dispose of waste that cannot be recycled, reused, repurposed, or composted. The types of waste that typically end up in landfills include municipal solid waste (MSW), construction and demolition debris, and industrial, electronic, medical, and hazardous waste. The waste in landfills undergoes decomposition, producing both liquid and gaseous byproducts.  

Landfill emissions can be broadly classified into three categories: greenhouse gases, organic compounds (VOCs), and toxic air pollutants. Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are produced during the decomposition of organic waste in landfills. Methane, in particular, is nearly 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. On top of that, landfill emissions can also produce leachate (a toxic liquid), contaminating the soil and groundwater.  

In the United States, MSW landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions. These emissions not only contribute to climate change but lead to various other environmental and social issues. In 2020, the methane emissions from MSW landfills were equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from about 20.3 million passenger vehicles driven for a year.  

However, these harmful methane emissions can be captured and utilized as a significant energy source.  

Data as a Tool for Evaluating Landfill Operations 

It’s difficult to imagine landfills having a place in the circular economy. But data can play a critical role in making landfills safer and more efficient and in reducing their emissions. Data can help us understand the scope and source of emissions, track emissions reduction, and identify areas of improvement.  

Here are a few ways data can improve landfill operations and help reduce emissions.  

Emissions inventories: Data can be used to develop landfill emissions inventories, which compile information on the quantities and sources of greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors. The inventories track emission changes over time and provide a baseline for measuring progress toward emissions reduction goals. 

Monitoring and reporting: Monitoring and reporting landfill emissions regularly can help identify areas where emissions can be reduced or controlled. Sophisticated monitoring can detect anomalies in daily operations, enable timely repair of methane leaks, support emissions reduction, and validate abatement strategies. 

Identifying sources: Detailed data on landfill emissions can be used to identify the most significant sources of emissions, like methane and other GHG’s, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and toxic air pollutants. This can inform targeted emission reduction strategies and evaluate their effectiveness over time.  

Evaluating technologies: Data can help evaluate the performance of various technologies used to reduce landfill emissions, such as methane capture and utilization systems. 

Predictive modeling: Data can be used in predictive modeling to identify areas where emissions reductions are more likely to have a significant impact and then develop reduction strategies accordingly. 

Public health assessments: Landfill data can assess the potential health impacts of landfill emissions on nearby communities. The information can further underscore strategies (like improving ventilation or implementing a buffer zone) to mitigate the impacts. 

Education and outreach: An important use of data is to educate the public about the overall impacts of landfills. This can promote behavior change that leads to waste reduction at both the individual and community levels. 

The Role of Data and Technology in Landfill Rehabilitation  

Unregulated MSW landfills can cause a significant negative impact on the environment and community health. The decomposition of organic materials in landfills results in landfill emissions, leachates, pollution, odor, and the spread of disease. Landfill rehabilitation and smart landfill management are the answers to these problems and will ensure we only have safe, effective landfills. 

Upgrading landfill systems can help transform a toxic space into a valuable community asset. According to a report from RMI, rehabilitating simple dump sites to sanitary landfills equipped with gas and leachate collection systems and other environmental controls will enable the capture of methane emissions and improve public health and safety.  

Regulating and upgrading landfills also drives necessary change to the industry, transforming it from one whose priority is profit to a waste management system that is focused on resource recovery. In a recent issue of Municipal Solid Waste Management Magazine, Parker Dale, President of Bio-Organic Catalyst, says,  

“The old model was to make money off the dumping fees. And then as you had renewables, the value of the gas was recognized and better management began to seep in and you had the evolution of the industry and more sophistication in management to support the mechanism of action that was really biological. Now it’s about optimizing the carbon cycle to essentially turn the whole thing into useable converted waste, producing useable resources such as compost and methane.” 

Innovation to Support Responsible Landfill Operations 

The World Bank reports that global waste is expected to grow by 70% by 2050. While source reduction remains the best method for reducing our dependency on landfills and combatting emissions, landfills won‘t be going away soon. As a significant part of waste management, we must use data and technology to ensure landfills’ efficacy and long-term sustainability. From developing emission inventories to monitoring and reporting to landfill rehabilitation, data has the potential to reduce landfill emissions and help us recover as much value from them as possible. 

Crafting An Effective RFP For Smart Waste Management (Templates Included)

by CleanRobotics | Mar 28, 2023 | Smart Waste Management

Organizations of all types are interested in smart waste management and new recycling technology. Integrating new sustainability initiatives within an organization often starts by issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP). But while RFPs are a standard process throughout the purchasing and acquisition worlds, there always remains an inherent challenge in writing one from scratch. 

To make this process even more efficient, we have created templates for RFI and RFP that you can download for free.

Smart waste management also draws on a wide variety of technologies and services, which can make writing a simple RFP become much more complicated. The CleanRobotics team would like to share four great steps in creating a strong RFP with the optimal level of detail and technical requests of potential vendors. The better the RFP, the better the vendor response, and the more likely your organization will be able to make an educated selection. 

Step One: Introduce Your Organization and the Challenge 

Vendors will be interested in learning as much relevant information as they can about your organization and the use case for their recycling technology. Describing your organization, how it operates, and its sustainability policy will help vendors understand if they can provide a good solution for your organization.  

Step Two: Clearly-Defined Goals 

A strong RFP is defined by its clarity. Vendors will be more responsive and more apt to provide the information with clearly articulated RFP goals:  

Waste Stream Improvement: Better control of the existing waste stream – in which you will need to explain what recycling technology is likely needed to accomplish this. A description of your current efforts will be helpful. 

Meeting Established Sustainability Goals: A stronger ability to meet established corporate or organizational sustainability objectives – your vendor will be interested in knowing what your targeted, quantifiable objective(s) are and if there is a timeline for meeting these objectives. 

Municipal Compliance: The need to meet local recycling or waste requirements – these should be clearly stated in the proposal. Alternatively, the RFP can direct vendors to the applicable municipal website for more detailed information. 

Specific Problem/Solution: Solving a specific sustainability problem or concern – vendors will want to know what that issue is so they can propose the best solution 

Step Three: Communicate Parameters 

Strong RFPs provide answers to questions that vendors will ask. Make sure that your proposal includes: 

Timeline: An expected implementation timeline – in return, vendors can provide a clear outline of when and how they would implement their technologies. 

Technology Description: A clear description of the type of recycling technology your organization is seeking – smart bins, robotics, AI-based technology, etc. 

Project Concept: An initial but general project concept – i.e., how many units are needed, where they could be placed, likely usage, required number of waste streams, etc.  

Known Parameters/Limitations: Any limitations or challenges that could affect the project – staffing, infrastructure, etc.

Pricing Structure: Anticipated pricing template, including how you expect costs to be broken down – purchase, leasing, support, licensing, etc. 

Providing detailed information serves two purposes: it helps vendors create comprehensive proposals, but it also reduces the chance that a vendor will provide an unfeasible or unworkable proposal. Instead, the vendor is more likely to realize that they aren’t a good fit and decline to submit a proposal. 

In many instances, the final details of an RFP will not likely be decided until a vendor has been selected and a final contract is in the works. But general details help create a level playing field as vendors will be responding to the same parameters. 

Step Four: All the Details 

While much of the focus in writing a strong RFP is on the project itself, don’t forget to include the basic foundational details. This includes: 

Process: Proposal deadline and review process, including intended review period and likely decision time, next steps, and how companies will be contacted during the process.

Submission Method: How you would like the proposal submitted (electronically via email, by mail, through a web-based submission, etc.) as well as if single or multiple copies must be submitted.

Media: Parameters for how supplemental/required media (videos or video links) can/cannot be submitted.

Proposal Format: What format the proposal should be in (PDF, slide deck, etc.)

Contact Information: Basic contact information for soliciting questions during the RFP process and for the final submission itself.

Questions: If there is a defined Q&A period, clearly state it and how questions are being submitted and answered.

Evaluation Criteria: Any helpful evaluation criteria or scoring process, at your discretion.

Finally, regardless of the RFP selected, it’s courteous to notify all vendors that a decision has been made at each round of the process.

How Composting Food Waste Can Help Facilities Achieve Smart Waste Management

by CleanRobotics | Feb 2, 2023 | Smart Waste Management

Do you know that nearly 1.3 billion tons of food are lost or wasted every year, according to the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program)? An estimated 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with unconsumed food. Moreover, the need to reduce food waste is becoming a pressing issue, as world hunger has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This article will discuss the importance of composting food waste and what it can do for a facility’s sustainability and smart waste management. 

The Importance of Composting Food Waste 

Over the years, using compost or organic fertilizers in agriculture was replaced by the overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This dependence gave rise to several issues, including soil deterioration, excess or deficiency of specific nutrients, insect outbreaks, and soil solidification. In addition, our food system and daily food habits inevitably produce a high amount of waste, such as food scraps and leftover food. To effectively manage food waste and combat soil issues, we must leverage the value of the organic waste we produce.

Composting and the Waste Hierarchy 

The waste management hierarchy is a framework that ranks various waste management techniques based on their impact on the environment and human health. Represented as a pyramid-like structure, the hierarchy shows the best waste management technique on top (reduction) and the least preferred one (disposal) near the bottom. The five levels in the waste management hierarchy are:

• Prevention
• Reuse
• Recycling
• Recovery
• Disposal

Composting food waste is an essential part of the waste hierarchy because it not only diverts waste from landfills and recovers valuable materials but also benefits the waste management system. Organic waste is more manageable than other materials like paper, plastic, and glass. There are multiple ways to deal with organic waste that make it possible to avoid the disposal stage altogether, and the best method is composting. 

Proper composting also minimizes our dependence on chemical fertilizers while improving soil fertility and water retention. Smart waste management through composting programs is a no-brainer for facilities. 

How Composting Helps Food Waste Reduction Initiatives

A study by the food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reports that nearly one-third of the food produced globally is wasted. Composting helps food waste reduction initiatives by converting organic food waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Food waste instead becomes a valuable asset to our agricultural lands and gardens. Compost also helps improve soil fertility and health and reduces water consumption and the need for chemical fertilizers. 

Additionally, composting helps reduce the amount of food waste in landfills. When food waste decomposes in landfills, it produces methane — a potent greenhouse gas. Composting diverts food waste from landfills, reducing the amount of methane gas.

Composting As Part of a Facility’s Waste Diversion

Composting can help a facility’s waste diversion efforts by preventing organic waste like food scraps and paper products from ending up in landfills. 

On the other hand, improper waste sorting can make composting difficult or even impossible for facilities. It gives rise to excessive contamination, which makes it difficult to recycle or compost effectively. Composting food waste can help facilities divert a significant amount of waste and reduce their overall carbon footprint. Facilities can also achieve more circularity by using the compost they produce in landscaping and gardening, and they can leverage composting programs to educate their visitors about food waste.

Smart waste management technology like TrashBot can help facilities reduce waste contamination and replace landfill materials with compostable ones. A pilot case study revealed that TrashBot helped a Los Angeles hospital reduce contamination within their recycling and compost streams by 95% and brought the diversion rates up to 50% by introducing compostable alternatives. 

Composting and the Environment

The UNEP wildlife Chief, Doreen Robinson, says:

“Our relationship with nature is unbalanced. Humans are always taking and discarding, and nature is continuously giving more. We need to apply circular thinking in which life is sustained and things are continuously repurposed.” — Doreen Robinson

To achieve a circular economy and drive widespread change, we must follow the waste hierarchy and consider how we can prevent, reuse, recycle, or recover materials before discarding them. 

Composting food waste is a highly underrated yet integral part of smart waste management. It also offers considerable environmental impacts. It minimizes food waste, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It also makes facilities and urban areas more resilient to the effects of climate change. Composting can cut down on the water needed to grow food and improve soil health. Through implementing composting programs, facilities can improve their diversion, reduce their footprint, and get closer to achieving smart waste management.