G531 - Ballantynes - Canterbury Region

Summary
Ballantynes is progressively tackling components of their waste stream and assessing and implementing options for prevention and reduction at source, reuse and recycling. So far the focus has been on paper and cardboard waste with positive results.

Business Profile
Ballantynes is Christchurch’s longest established department store with a reputation for quality goods and service.

Type of Project
Reduction, reuse, recycling.

Reasons for Project
Ballantynes’ involvement in this project came from a desire to better manage their waste and improve their environmental performance.

The Project

As Christchurch’s longest established department store committed to providing quality goods and services, Ballantynes are now giving even better value through a commitment to the sustainability of the environment.

Ballantynes are involved in Green Retail, a waste minimisation initiative funded jointly by the Christchurch City Council and Zero Waste New Zealand. The Green Retail pilot project involved a series of workshops that focussed on minimising waste and using resources more efficiently. The first step towards achieving this was to identify the impacts of their business on the environment and make a commitment to improved environmental performance.

Ballantynes developed an environmental policy which sets out their commitment to the environment and establishes goals and responsibilities. Achieving these goals involves following the waste minimisation cycle of assessing wastes and emissions, developing and implementing a waste reduction plan and monitoring progress.

Ballantynes began by sorting and weighing waste from two days of operation in order to get a better understanding of the composition and source, as well as finding out the costs associated with production and disposal of their waste. Among other things the waste audit revealed that lots of corrugated cardboard boxes were ending up in the general waste even though Ballantynes had a recycling scheme in place for these, and that paper waste was a large component of the waste stream.

Ballantynes have taken a systematic approach to their waste by focussing on individual components of their waste stream and looking for options to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reuse
The first component to be tackled was corrugated cardboard boxes. It was calculated that the cost of manufacturing the corrugated cardboard boxes was somewhere around $200,000, in addition to the costs involved with handling and disposal. This prompted Ballantynes to look further up the waste management hierarchy at how this waste could be reused or, even better, reduced at source.

Looking outside their own organisation for the solution involved establishing a relationship with suppliers. Two local suppliers provided an obvious starting point. With the goal of achieving a mutual understanding of each other’s operations, reciprocal visits were arranged with one of these suppliers. The supplier was able to see how their packaging created work and waste for Ballantynes, and Ballantynes could get an understanding of why things were done in a particular way.

Among the opportunities for mutually beneficial improvements was the reuse of boxes, an initiative that could be implemented almost immediately. The cost of the boxes that Ballantynes were discarding was estimated at $200,000. Ballantynes’ Christchurch suppliers were bearing some of this cost so there would obviously be savings for them. It is likely that other waste minimisation opportunities will gradually be initiated by the supplier who is now much more receptive to their client’s needs.

Recycling
Ballantynes have initiated a trial recycling programme for paper waste in one part of the store. This involves central collection points for paper waste and ensuring that staff are aware of what can and can’t go into the paper recycling bins. There is the potential to save at least $1,500 per year in waste disposal costs alone when this trial is extended store-wide.

Reduce
While recycling is a good short-term solution, reducing the amount of paper waste generated is an even better solution with the potential for even bigger savings. Ballantynes therefore plans to investigating options for reducing the amount of waste paper being produced, for example by evaluating what is printed and what needs to be printed and ensuring paper is used on both sides.

Benefits
Ballantynes commitment to improving their waste management is beneficial for their business and for the environment. Some of the benefits are:

• an improved supplier-retailer relationship with future potential for waste reduction in other areas
• reduced disposal costs
• better use of existing recycling systems
• more efficient use of resources
• less waste to landfill
  
  

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