Overall, Sika reduces the amount of waste generated through several initiatives such as the optimization of the production planning, streamlining of the production process layout and the reuse of production waste.
Waste Reduction in production due to successful cooperation between R&D and Operations
In Saudi Arabia, one key raw material in Sika’s Rabigh mortar plant is graded aggregate from crushed stone (quarry waste) as an alternative to silica sand. Until recently, this material could not be used in its entirety, and materials which were either too fine or too coarse to be used as raw materials in production were stockpiled and subsequently discarded as waste to landfill.
Successful collaboration between local R&D and Operations teams has allowed for a change in formulation, enabling the use of the entirety of the material (all aggregate sizes) with minimum adaptation of the production plant. This modification results in waste savings of approximately 4,000 tons/year, plus a one-time reuse of the accumulated waste stockpile of 6,000 tons in 2021.