Material Flow Management

Material flow management concerns all the materials that enter and leave Wageningen University & Research. This comprises anything from paper tissues and food remains to laptops and construction materials. By thoroughly monitoring and analysing these material flows, Facilities and Services gains access to data that can be used to contribute to the sustainability of WUR’s operations. By introducing as few new materials into WUR’s operations as possible, using materials as long as possible and reusing them innovatively, WUR tries to minimise the amount of waste produced.

Partnerships

To improve the sustainability of its operations, WUR is collaborating with the engineering and consultancy firm Witteveen+Bos and recovery and collection company ProZero. Their combined knowledge, experience and data are crucial to our aim to gain insight into the full material lifecycle and reduce material consumption.

Unique data model offers insight

Material flow management requires custom solutions. That is why WUR uses a unique data model developed by Witteveen+Bos. This model, the only one of its kind in the Netherlands, translates all data from the purchasing system of WUR to mass and climate impact and categorises the material flows by material type and use. In order to generate even more insight, this data is linked to the outgoing material flows monitored by PreZero. That way, WUR knows exactly what materials enter and leave the organisation, and how sustainable our current material flows are. Through focussed field labs, the partners determine how those opportunities may be capitalised upon. What materials could be replaced by alternatives? And which ones might be obsolete altogether?

Field labs investigate sustainability opportunities

A field lab researches potential improvements to the sustainability of a specific material flow, like lab plastics or organic waste. Experts from Witteveen+Bos perform extensive data analyses and engage the organisation by talking to relevant employees. That way, they gather as much information as possible on the full lifecycle of the material in question: where does it enter the organisation, how is it used, and when does it leave the organisation again?

Based on this information, the experts propose alternatives. Could the material in question be replaced with a more sustainable alternative? Could the material be reused more thoroughly? Aren’t paper towels a thing of the past? A number of WUR labs are already recycling their pipette trays and test tubes. Shredded plastic is used to make new tools by means of a 3D printer.

The circular solutions designed by the field labs are implemented in cooperation with the science groups. That way, WUR is constantly improving the sustainability of its operations.