CASE STUDY # 133
1. Headline: Substitution of less toxic raw materials in the
fabrication of furniture reduces waste
2. Background: See below.
3. Cleaner Production Principle: Material substitution
4. Description of Cleaner Production Application:
Solvent-based inks have been replaced by water-based inks
for printing woodgrain on fiberboard and plywood pieces
prior to furniture assembly. The water-based inks are
non-toxic and may be discharged into the city's sewer
collection system, reducing off-site solvent recycling
costs, as well as raw material costs. The solvent-based
finishes still required are being used in a
counter-current manner such that the virgin solvents flush
the equipment and are later used as a thinner for
finishing material.
Material/Energy Balance and Substitutions:
FEEDSTOCKS: Inks, coatings
WASTES: Solvents
MEDIUM: Liquid
5. Economics
CAPITAL COST: None
OPERATION/MAINTENANCE: None
MONTHS TO RECOVER: 0
DISPOSAL & FEEDSTOCK: $112,000/yr in reduced raw
materials and disposal costs
6. Advantages
FEEDSTOCK REDUCTION: The water-based inks cost 50% less
than the solvent-based inks ($75,000/yr savings)
WASTE PRODUCTION: 30-40% reduction in waste solvents
($37,000/yr savings in disposal costs)
IMPACT: Conversion to water-based inks from solvent-based
inks has allowed for a reduction in raw material costs by
50%, and a 30-40% reduction in solvents generated that
require off-site recovery. Product quality has remained
the same.
7. Constraints: No information provided.
8. CITATION: "Case Summaries of Waste Reduction by
Industries in the Southeast", Schecter, Roger N., Hunt,
Gary, July, 1989, Page 15.
9. Keywords: United States, USA, wood, furniture, material
substitution, ink, solvent, water-based ink, coating, ISIC
2511.
10. Reviewer's Comments: This case study part of a core
collection of case studies from North Carolina, USA and
was originally abstracted for the US Environmental
Protection Agency's Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse. It underwent a UNEP IE funded technical
review in 1994 for quality and completeness. It was
edited for the ICPIC diskette in July 1995.
(Docno unep04: 112-003-A-282)