Waste efficiency can be a very touchy subject. Ask yourself the question — how wasteful are you? Many of us, at the individual or corporate level, tend to think that we do not overtly waste anything and that we are naturally efficient. The stark reality is that almost every action involves waste, whenever there is any activity that involves anything other than an absolute minimum of resources.

In a corporate environment, there are at least six distinct areas were we can identify that waste is an issue. One of the most glaring is in the overproduction of products, a serious waste efficiency issue. It seems that whenever a delay occurs in a process or, conversely, whenever an element of motion is involved, waste inefficiency is apparent. We see a byproduct of overproduction in excess inventory stock.

Products should be supplied to the customer on a “just-in-time” basis, as anything that is produced over and above this is a clear indication of waste efficiency problems. If a poor tracking system or archaic bureaucratic procedures are in place, the company will undoubtedly exacerbate its waste problems.

Getting to the roots of the process is one of the first tasks that a waste efficiency committee should tackle. If current processes cannot handle the workload, waste will be incurred and this is especially troublesome if the goods being produced are perishable.

The process of waste can begin at the sales level, when inadequate forecasting is performed. Any errors made at the customer level will be aggravated throughout the product lifecycle, so the waste efficiency committee needs to look at sales team efficiency in the way that paperwork is generated and handled.

Look to the supply-chain for waste efficiency issues. These companies may be supplying materials or work in progress to you, complete with “packing” materials which will incur high disposal costs for your organization. See how you can fix this, turning waste efficiency over to your suppliers as well.

Any poor measurement activities within your production process will leave you with all kinds of material, clippings or castoffs that will be just destined for the landfill. Take a leaf out of those organizations who have vowed to stop using landfills altogether in the foreseeable future, as they subscribe to waste efficiency.

The corporate culture itself can often destroy waste efficiency. Ultimate sustainability cannot be achieved unless waste mitigation is front and center. Remember to impose less upon all of the resources and environment around you.

Daniel Stouffer has much more data about your waste efficiency and how a visit to www.verisae.com will aid you.