How Van Houtum relies on LCA to optimize sustainability
Dutch paper company Van Houtum targets exceptional environmental performance. Find out how Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are helping optimize their processes and products.
“For us, tools which allow us to optimize our products and processes are essential,” explains Jos Manders, Coordinator for Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety, at Van Houtum. “Our long-term ambition is to operate our business entirely according to Cradle-to-Cradle principles. LCA gives us insight in the approaches and methods required to reduce environmental impact and deliver on our ambitious environmental goals.”
LCA helps Van Houtum find the environmental ‘hotspots’ in their product chain
The company is using Life Cycle Assessments as an integral part of its sustainability policy. “This is not only product-focused. We also look closely at our suppliers and customers across the entire chain. Our aim is to organize processes in a circular way so the LCA also examines the use of commodities and how the end product can be ‘food’ for either the biological or technical cycle.
We now know exactly how to optimize those two elements, for example through introducing smart recycling processes and alternative, bio-based source materials.”
LCA: clear and concise report
“We contacted Philips Engineering Solutions because we wanted to analyze our basic product and our Cradle-to-Cradle product. We also wanted to know where we stood in relation to the market leader.”
“The Sustainability team from Philips Engineering Solutions rapidly understood our challenges, determined the scope and which elements needed to be measured, created models and interpreted the outcomes. As part of carrying out three LCAs they were instrumental in providing us with practical insights based on the resulting data. Instead of being provided with large volumes of data, we were given a clear and concise report, which enabled us to take further steps in the area of commodities and end products.”
Would you like to know more about what LCA can do at your organization?