Cleaner Production gains momentum
in Australian Food Industry
Increasingly,
Australian
companies
are
discovering the benefits of Cleaner Production as
an environmental management and business tool.
Companies such as the South Australian
Brewing Company, Dairy Farmers and Coca
Cola Amatil Ltd are saving thousands of dollars
each year by implementing Cleaner Production
strategies within their business.
The South Australian Brewing Company is
saving $29,000 each month by cutting water
consumption from 46,000 kL/month to 14,000
kL/month. The savings have been achieved by
recycling pasteuriser water and utilising treated
water from an underground aquifer. The company
has won the 2000 South Australian Water Care
Award for its work in this area.
Dairy Farmers in Booval, Queensland has
implemented a number of initiatives to minimise
costs and maximise productivity. Teams were
formed
to
identify Cleaner
Production
opportunities and improvements identified
resulted in savings of $73,000 per year in water
costs and $62,000 per year in trade waste costs. A
recycling program also reduced solid waste
disposal costs by 60%.
By modifying a bottle washing line to recirculate
rinse water, Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd reduced
water intake by 200 ML and saved an incredible
$400,000 per year.
Other companies that are realising the benefits of
Cleaner Production include Riverland Oilseed
Processors and Country Bake Pty Ltd.
Riverland Oilseed Processors*, an oilseed
crushing and extraction plant in northern Victoria,
has implemented a range of Cleaner Production
initiatives that have led to a 35% reduction in
solid waste disposal and a 50% reduction in trade
waste costs from $100,000 to $50,000 per annum.
Total savings are in the order of $200,000 per
annum.
The approach has also uncovered substantial
savings for Country Bake Pty Ltd in Brisbane.
Previously, the bakery operation used an oil spray
to prevent sticking in a dough-tipping machine.
By simply switching to a water spray the company
has saved over $10,000 per year in oil costs,
avoided higher trade waste charges and solved a
number of downstream problems associated with
oil over-spray.
Pollution and waste management has developed
over recent decades from dispersion of waste
through to pollution control and now to Cleaner
Production. Cleaner Production is different from
other environmental management tools in that it
aims to increase profitability through reduced
resource consumption (water, energy and
materials) and reduced waste handling, treatment
and disposal. The approach is supported by state
and federal governments via funding from various
programs aimed at encouraging business to adopt
Cleaner Production strategies. The main Cleaner
Production strategies are to Eliminate, Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle and lastly to Treat & Dispose and
are depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – Cleaner Production Hierarchy
Cleaner Production - An Integrated Approach
Focus
Eliminate
Strategy
Pollution
Prevention
Reduce
Waste
Management
Reuse
Recycle
Treat &
Dispose
Control &
Disposal
All media
Air, Water, Soil
Raw Materials Use
Energy
Impact of
Products
Personnel Management
Work Procedures
Cleaner Production involves understanding and
quantifying resource consumption and waste
generation within a process, and identifying
opportunities to reduce waste and emissions. The
end result is improved operating efficiencies,
better environmental performance and subsequent
cost savings. Opportunities for Cleaner Production
usually arise in the following ways Product Modification or Redesign
Is there opportunity to modify a product to
improve productivity? Can packaging be reused or
recycled? Can a waste stream be turned into a
saleable by-product? Lightweighting of packaging
is one example of reduced raw materials use and
waste generation through packaging redesign.
 Raw Material Substitution
Raw materials that are hazardous or result in
waste treatment or disposal problems can be
substituted with another. For example, the use of
coolants or lubricants that may be recycled or the
use of ‘green’ energy sources such as gas instead
of coal.
 Process Modification
It is often possible to improve efficiency by
modifying existing processes. This may be as
simple as fine tuning operating parameters or
could be by modifying operating equipment.
Consider a multi-fired boiler to use different fuel
sources or look for opportunities to recover
resources such as heat energy or water.
 Reuse and Recycling
For food manufacturers there may be
opportunities for reuse or recycling of waste
streams. For example, using wastewaters for noncritical applications such as first washes.
 Good Housekeeping
Good housekeeping is a fundamental Cleaner
Production strategy that can have a significant
impact on the operational and environmental
performance of a company. Housekeeping
improvements that can save money include
preventing leaks of water, steam, compressed air
or other inputs.
simple procedure that can be used by businesses
to improve their productivity. The procedure can
be used effectively in a single project, however
ongoing benefits will be seen when the
philosophy is adopted into the company’s culture,
perhaps via an environmental management
system, so that it becomes the usual strategy to
optimise production.
Undertaking a Cleaner Production Project
There are a number of steps in a Cleaner
Production project:
About the Author
The UNEP Working Group for Cleaner
Production in the Food Industry is part of the
United Nations Environment Programme’s
Cleaner Production Network, specialising in the
application of Cleaner Production in the food
industry. It is supported by and located at The
University of Queensland. The principal function
of the Working Group is to help the food industry
profit from better environmental management.
 Planning and Organisation
Firstly, management must be totally committed to
the concept to ensure sufficient resources and
support is provided. A project team is then formed
to decide on the scope and to drive the project.
The Working Group has been actively involved in
promoting Cleaner Production to the food
industry and has developed considerable expertise
in undertaking and facilitating Cleaner
Production projects for industry clients.
 Pre-Assessment
This step involves the development of process
flow diagrams highlighting inputs and outputs,
particularly waste
streams. Walk-through
assessments are undertaken to identify sources of
waste and inefficient resource consumption.
For further information about Cleaner Production
and the Working Group, contact Penny Prasad on
07 3365 1432 or p.prasad@mailbox.uq.edu.au.
 Assessment
Information and data is gathered to complete a
material and energy balance of the process. It is
during this stage that Cleaner Production
opportunities will become apparent. The team
should be prepared to consider innovative and
non-conventional ideas.
 Evaluation and Feasibility Study
Cleaner Production options are evaluated using
technical, environmental and economic criteria.
Preliminary costings are undertaken to determine
capital costs and payback periods.
 Implementation and Continuation
Once viable options are agreed upon, an action
plan is developed. The results of the change must
be monitored to assess whether the expected
improvements have succeeded and to provide
management with evidence of the improvements.
Cleaner Production pursues a holistic approach to
environmental management in that opportunities
for reducing consumption of raw materials and
preventing pollution are investigated rather than
simply considering compliance or ‘end of pipe’
solutions. Cleaner Production provides a clear and
Further reading
Cleaner Production Assessment in Meat, Dairy
and Fish Processing. A series of documents
published
by
UNEP.
Available
at
http://www.agrifood-forum.net/home.asp.
Pagan, R.J. and Williams, L.J. (1999). Policies,
Research and Programs in Cleaner Production –
Case Studies in the Food Industry Sector. APEC.
Available at http://www.riap.usyd.edu.au/.
*Information on the Riverland Oilseed Processors
courtesy of EPA Victoria.