Case Studies
All International Synergies' projects reduce carbon dioxide, materials sent to landfill, hazardous waste streams and the industrial use of water, as well as preserving virgin resources, generating cost savings for industry and creating new sales, jobs and business start ups. Below is a snapshot of some of the thousands of synergies that International Synergies have identified and been implemented by businesses around the world.
Foylehov is one of Ireland’s leading adventure sports and outdoor activity centres. Constant usage of the centre's hovercraft track was causing soil erosion which required continuous ground maintenance to keep the track operational. The Maximising Efficiencies team introduced Foylehov to the Crawford group who were working on a project to refurbish an Astroturf sports pitch which involved removing 6,000 square meters of artificial turf. Foylehov was able to collect the material from the site and take it directly to its outdoor activity centre where it was sorted and made ready to lay at the required areas of the hovercraft track.
JNJ has a mobile crushing & screening plant with a waste management licence. This allows the company to operate on the site of waste generation. Valuable introductions from the Maximising Efficiencies team in Northern Ireland have enabled JNJ to generate additional sales to construction and demolition companies throughout the Northern Ireland. The companies involved achieved cost savings of £1.96m. The crushed aggregate generated additional sales of £206,250.
Delta Print and Packaging is a global strategic packaging supplier to the branded food and ‘food on the go’ sectors. The Maximising Efficiencies team in Northern Ireland made contact with Delta Print and Packaging Ltd in 2010. A factory tour revealed many resources with which the Industrial Symbiosis service could assist. The benefits of Industrial Symbiosis were soon realised through further engagement with Industrial Symbiosis practitioners at a workshop. As a result of the engagement with the Industrial Symbiosis Service and its members, Delta Print Packaging Solutions has diverted over 170 tonnes of material from landfill and achieved a cost saving of over £21,000. The relationship has given Delta access to local, sustainable resource outlets.
The Landfill Directive and an annual increase in Landfill Tax has dramatically increased disposal costs for soil waste. As a result construction firms are looking for sustainable solutions that don't cost the earth. Working with the Maximising Efficiencies team in Northern Ireland, Portadown based ReCon was able to recover 100% of contaminated soil from a local housing development, reducing disposal charges whilst also converting the soil into a productive resource that was sold on to other construction projects in the Country.
Terra Nitrogen (UK) Limited and John Baarda Ltd were brought together by NISP in a fruitful collaboration which sees a record breaking 38 acre greenhouse in Billingham growing tomatoes all year round, creating 65 new jobs and diverting over 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
NISP facilitated a complex collaboration between four of its member companies which saw 100,000 tonnes of clay and spoil material from Thames Water's Victorian mains replacement works being recovered, reprocessed, transported down the Thames by barge and reused to inject new life into an old deposition site near Chatham Docks.
James Wellbeloved had implemented a challenging zero waste to landfill policy but was struggling to find a recycling solution for the rejects from its pet food production process. NISP introduced it to a local company that was able to compost the waste material, while also providing significant cost savings.
Parker Hannifin had struggled to find a processor for its manufacturing waste - a concertina-style paper product used as an air filter in vehicles. NISP not only found a company able to compost the material, but also assisted Parker Hannifin in streamlining its waste management system to make the synergy viable for both parties.
AJ & RG Barber, famous for its farmhouse cheddar, initially got involved with NISP through one of its synergy workshops where it was looking for a reuse solution for its wooden waste pallets. However, it soon emerged that the wooden boxes used to age the farmhouse cheddar were a more problematic material.
When Denby asked NISP to explore the potential for recycling its ceramic waste, it could not expect that the synergy partner would also be able to accept packaging waste such as cardboard and plastic. As a result, Denby was able to achieve its zero waste to landfill policy.
