Recycling waste energy just made sense…

• A metalwork plant built its own heat capping and recycling solution
• A simple, clever system to channel waste heat in- or outside the plant depending on the season and temperature outside
• Initial investment could be recouped within a year

Spiess Blechtechnik is an well-established iron and metalwork company based in Bavaria, Germany.

Even in workplaces which have already introduced energy saving measures, there is still one untapped source… waste heat.

Industrial or thermal processes produce heat that is all-too-often released into the atmosphere, adding to greenhouse gases. That heat can be recovered and used in various ways.

Not all waste heat streams are economically/technically feasible to recover. An expert or in-house analysis of energy flows can determine what is possible.

Using renewable resources for heat generation is good for your organisation’s balance sheet and for the environment.

Tapping into renewable sources to heat your buildings means a lifetime of lower energy costs and typically a fairly fast return on the initial investment. It also means an independent and secure source of energy/heating.

Combined with intelligent heating systems, the overall energy consumption can be reduced significantly, helping Europe meets its renewable energy goals and climate change commitments.

Durable products designed with sustainability considerations, or ecodesigned, offer many advantages both to the company and the environment. Ecodesign takes into account the full life-cycle of products, from conception to design and development, to construction, packaging and end-of-life considerations including reuse, reparation and/or recycling. 

Significant savings can be achieved in raw materials, pre-products, operating resources and additives, as well as in water and energy use. The following aspects are key for resource-efficient products:

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) are typically used by households quickly after purchase or at least under one year. This includes packaged foods, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, but also cosmetics and personal hygiene items.

Back on track

• Freight companies band together to rejenuvenate regional rail network as viable alternative to struggling road transport 
• Action leads to vastly reduced CO2 and a 66 % average saving on journey times

The Carpathia region in the Czech Republic was struggling with increasing road transportation (up 250 % between 1997 and 2002) resulting from economic development. At the same time, the rail system was under pressure due to shrinking shipment sizes and lead times.

Orchestrated transport, an efficient symphony

Good monitoring and management are vital to reigning in energy costs and carbon emissions. Measuring and tracking resource use (energy, water and raw materials) is a key skill that all organisations should master, regardless of size or sector. It can help to identify patterns of wasteful behaviour and opportunities to improve environmental performance and save money.

Purge ends in 5 minutes!

• German company shows how to reduce water use through optimised cleaning-in-place technique 
• Shorter purge cycle reduces water consumption by 12 %, saving about € 10 600 per annum

Beverage production is a very water-intensive industry, both as an ingredient and in cleaning. Improvements and innovations along the production line could save enormous quantities of water, help to bring production costs down, and mitigate the environmental impact of the sector.

Make the most of what you have