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What’s the final destination of the by-products and waste created by your processes? Landfill? Sewer? Recycler? How much do you spend on waste disposal and processing? Have you ever wondered if there’s a better way?
To help manufacturers address this issue, IMEC is launching a program to help Illinois businesses collaborate and find new ways to transform waste into more profitable and innovative uses. Using a process known as a by-product synergy, the Waste-to-Profit Network will help facilitate the transformation of one company’s waste, or by-products, into an input that can be utilized by another company. The program was boosted by a recent grant of $150,000 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Recycling Expansion and Modernization (REM) Program.
“Adopting green practices is not just good for the environment, but also good for business,” said DCEO Director Jack Lavin. “The IMEC project will support these forward-thinking companies that are motivated to adopt a sustainable approach. It will also generate valuable information that companies will be able to use to improve their resourcefulness and enhance their competitive edge.”
The IMEC Waste-to-Profit Network program is being modeled after a successful initiative by the City of Chicago and the Chicago Manufacturing Center. In a match facilitated by the Chicago Network, for example, several countertop manufacturers are successfully using glass waste from an oven door manufacturer to produce eco-friendly tabletop enhancements.
Two types of networks will be developed by IMEC. Community Networks will be comprised of business and community leaders who will meet to provide basic information on their inputs and outputs and identify potential matches. Innovation Networks are made up of paying-member companies who meet frequently in highly facilitated sessions to generate waste and synergy matches. IMEC and other partners will coach companies to explore, identify and test potentially valuable synergies. In between meetings, IMEC will work with the members to find synergy matches outside the network. Networks will be launched this fall in Rockford, Peoria, and the St. Louis Metro East region.
IMEC’s Waste to Profit partners include the Chicago Manufacturing Center (CMC), the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (formerly known as the Waste Management and Research Center), DCEO, Southern Illinois University, Bradley University, Northern Illinois University, and economic development organizations in the Network regions. Corporate sponsors and network members are being recruited.
For more on the program, call IMEC’s Mary Hallock at 815-721-4474. |
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