Business Resource Efficiency Program

Doing more with less

Increasing resource efficiency can help to reduce your business costs, improve resilience and protect the environment. This means limiting consumption of materials, and reducing the amount of waste your business produces. In June 2020 TCCO completed the Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP) to help Tasmanian businesses review their resource use and find ways to improve it.

Program details

This program aimed to:

• help small to medium-sized Tasmanian businesses reduce their consumption of resources, and minimise waste streams;
• reduce operating costs and drive productivity gains; and
• provide businesses with practical and tailored information about ways to improve their resource efficiency.

The program was delivered by Business Action Learning Tasmania in the North and North-West of the State. Eleven businesses were selected to participate in the facilitated action learning program.

Program outcomes

Each business received a comprehensive waste audit, to identify opportunities for increased resource efficiency.

Through a series of workshops and action learning meetings, the businesses worked as a team to tackle each business’s particular waste problem and develop an action plan.

Businesses received one-on-one mentoring throughout the program to develop their projects and visited waste management centres and other businesses that are leading the way in resource efficiency.

Each business finished the program with a set of recommendations and an implementation plan to improve their resource efficiency. Participants presented their results at a program review forum.

Program resources

These resources and tools summarise the key program learnings and outcomes, and can help other businesses to improve their resource efficiency. They include Case Studies, Fact Sheets, short videos, and links to tools and useful websites.

Videos

• Introduction to the Business Resource Efficiency Program - video (Transcript)
• Action Learning for resource efficiency - video (Transcript)
• Applying Lean for resource efficiency - video (Transcript)
• Sustainable Supply Chains - video (Transcript)
• Circular Economies - video (Transcript)
• Industrial Composting - video (Transcript)

Case studies

• Botanical Resources Australia – Biofuel Project
  • Botanical Resources Australia (PDF)
  • Botanical Resources Australia (HTML)
• Bridestowe Lavender Estate – Waste to Landfill Reduction Project
  • Bridestowe Lavender Estate (PDF)
  • Bridestowe Lavender Estate (HTML)
• CPT Engineering – Material Optimisation Program
  • CPT Engineering (PDF)
  • CPT Engineering (HTML)
• Direct Edge Manufacturing – Manufacturing Material Optimisation Project
  • Direct Edge Manufacturing (PDF)
  • Direct Edge Manufacturing (HTML)
• Drysdale (TasTAFE) – Restaurant Food Waste Composting Project
  • Drysdale (TasTAFE) (PDF)
  • Drysdale (TasTAFE) (HTML)
• Jinglers Creek Vineyard – Material Use Reduction Project
  • Jinglers Creek Vineyard (PDF)
  • Jinglers Creek Vineyard (HTML)
• Nichols Poultry – Zero Production Waste Project
  • Nichols Poultry (PDF)
  • Nichols Poultry (HTML)
• Penguin Composites – Recycling Program
  • Penguin Composites (PDF)
  • Penguin Composites (HTML)
• pitt&sherry - Multi-tenancy Office Building Recycling Program
  • pitt&sherry (PDF)
  • pitt&sherry (HTML)
• Red Brick Road Cider – Waste to Resource Project
  • Red Brick Road Cider (PDF)
  • Red Brick Road Cider (HTML)
• Think Big Printing – Print Rework Reduction Project
  • Think Big Printing (PDF)
  • Think Big Printing (HTML)

Fact Sheets

• Action Learning
  • Action Learning Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Action Learning Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Action Plans
  • Action Plans Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Action Plans Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Business Case
  • Business Case Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Business Case Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Conducting a waste audit
  • Conducting a waste audit Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Conducting a waste audit Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Lean principles
  • Lean principles Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Lean principles Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Problem solving
  • Problem solving Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Problem solving Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Resource efficiency
  • Resource efficiency Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Resource efficiency Fact Sheet (HTML)
• Sustainable design
  • Sustainable design Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Sustainable design Fact Sheet (HTML)

Tools

Tools and templates are available to help you analyse resource use in your business and develop strategies to improve resource efficiency. Visit the Business Action Learning Tasmania website to download these templates:

• Action plan Gantt chart
• Audit checklist template
• Cause and effect worksheet
• Meeting agenda template
• Problem solving template
• Waste survey calculator
• Waste survey worksheet

More information

Business Action Learning Tasmania (BALT)

Business Action Learning Tasmania (BALT) designed and delivered BREP in partnership with TCCO. BALT supports self-reliant industry development, bringing together diverse companies through action learning, to improve their profitability, develop their people and grow the Tasmanian economy. BALT has a range of templates available for download to help Tasmanian businesses pursue resource efficiency initiatives.

Reth!nk Waste Tasmania

Rethink Waste is a statewide initiative involving the three regional waste management groups – Cradle Coast Waste Services, the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group and Waste Strategy South. Rethink Waste provides information for best practice waste management and recycling in Tasmania.

EPA Tasmania

EPA Tasmania has useful information about sustainable waste management standards and practices for Tasmanian industry on its Resource Recovery & Waste page, with a full list of waste-related publications.

Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria has a range of resources to help businesses take simple actions to reduce material use and waste.

EPA NSW Bin Trim Tool

Bin Trim is a simple tool to help businesses measure their waste, and find out how to waste less and save more.

Ellen Macarthur Foundation

The Ellen Macarthur Foundation has an extensive collection of resources available online, including:

• curated learning experiences, which explain the Circular Economy and systems thinking
• tools and methodologies for implementing a circular economy framework and measuring success
• a range of case studies and publications

The Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP) is a partnership between the Tasmanian Government and Business Action Learning Tasmania and is funded by the Tasmanian Government. It is a key action of Climate Action 21: Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan 2017-2021.

For more information visit the Business Action Learning website.