Busch Systems is a company driven by a clear and compelling vision - to create positive change in the world through recycling and waste diversion programs.
As a leading supplier of waste & recycling containers, their primary business goals revolve around environmental responsibility, innovation, and empowering customers to make informed choices.
To further these goals, Busch Systems partnered with CarbonGraph to begin a journey of quantifying and reducing the lifecycle carbon footprints of their products.
CarbonGraph's LCA platform proved to be an indispensable tool throughout Busch Systems' carbon footprinting journey. The platform facilitated data management, streamlined calculations, and provided a user-friendly interface for modelling and visualizing product lifecycles.
Moreover, CarbonGraph's consulting team worked closely with Busch Systems to provide guidance and support, ensuring that the results were an accurate representation of their supply chain.
To achieve a comprehensive understanding of their product carbon footprints, Busch Systems & CarbonGraph adopted a systematic methodology which follows the four steps below:
As implied by the phrase "Carbon Footprinting Journey," product lifecycle assessments are not a one-time task. The model should be iterated upon until all material supply chain elements are included.
Busch Systems continues to own the footprint model and makes periodic updates as their operations change and as suppliers improve their own sustainability understanding.
CarbonGraph exists to streamline the product lifecycle assessment process and has a number of capabilities to ease common project challenges. Here are some of the key challenges noted from this particular engagement.
By overcoming these challenges with the support of CarbonGraph, Busch Systems was able to navigate the intricacies of carbon footprint analysis and use the insights to drive positive change in their operations.
Busch Systems publishes carbon footprint data for their B2B consumers, and provides an overview of their LCA methodology for prospective buyers. Carbon footprints were also integrated into their product pages and data sheets, providing direct links to the underlying models on CarbonGraph's website.
The next step involved collaborating with their Operations and R&D Teams to assess the data and identify opportunities for carbon footprint reduction. Key findings included:
Megan McKibbon, Senior Operations Manager, reflected on the significance of this project:
"Tracking the carbon footprint of our products with CarbonGraph, from cradle to grave, has allowed us to quantify each step of the lifecycle in a way that will allow us to not only optimize our operations and warehousing but communicate openly with customers and vendors about our environmental impact; broadening the sustainability conversation with suppliers and customers alike."
Busch Systems' expectations regarding market response were exceeded. Their environmentally conscious customers welcomed the transparency and detailed information provided. This initiative empowered customers to make more sustainable choices, aligning with Busch Systems' values.
Within just a few hours of sharing this information with their customers, Busch Systems received enthusiastic responses. The following quote is from a Busch Systems customer:
"This is AWESOME! Wish every vendor would do this, would make Scope 3 tracking so much easier. Stellar work from Busch [Systems] as always!"
Busch Systems' commitment to environmental responsibility and innovation in carbon footprinting has not only allowed them to optimize their operations but has also empowered their customers to make eco-conscious choices in line with net zero strategies.
This project exemplifies their dedication to leading through innovation and creating positive change in the world.
Thank you to the entire Busch Systems team!
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