Manufacturing is critical to our way of life. Without it, we would not have the supplies, food, clothing, electronics and other things we use every day. However, manufacturing also produces waste that often ends up in landfills or oceans.

Looking at natural ecosystems provides a different perspective on this conundrum. There is very little waste in nature. For example, certain bacteria and fungi decompose dead organic matter, reintroducing nutrients back into the soil for plants to use as they grow.

This inspires the question — what if one manufacturer’s trash could be another one’s treasure?

Companies could save on waste disposal and raw material sourcing costs. Our planet would also benefit by keeping potentially valuable materials out of landfills.

For example, many companies don’t need pristine or drinkable water for their manufacturing processes. So, rather than discarding used water, another company can use that water for its own operations. This concept of resource sharing and waste exchange through mutually beneficial partnerships is called industrial symbiosis.

Industrial symbiosis arrangements allow companies located near each other to share resources easily because of their proximity. For example, the costs to transport materials between different businesses will presumably be lower if they’re near each other.

Para leer más ingrese a:

https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/natures-lessons-creating-greener-future-manufacturing