We have had a long association with ZERI,
the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives Foundation, a
global sustainability organization. ZERI seeks to create
systems in which the very concept of 'waste' does not exist.
That is, unused products of one activity become feedstocks
for some other activity. This concept comes from two key
observations of nature:
- No kingdom of nature eats its own
waste
- What is toxic to one kingdom of organism is food to some
other
Although ZERI aims to eliminate waste, the ZERI method is
holistic, recognizing that waste elimination requires attention
to all aspects of an enterprises's operations.
The ZERI Axioms of Economic Activity:
1. PURPOSE
Merge Economic, Social and Environmental Objectives
- Make every decision to maximize the social, ecological,
and financial bottom lines.
2. GROWTH
Increase Output with Less Input
- Re-engineer existing production
processes to minimize waste, create new products and services
from what you traditionally regard as waste
- Use innovative raw materials which are
less toxic and more recyclable
- Cluster with other organizations who can use your waste
as inputs to make their own products and services
- Identify under-utilized or negative assets and optimize
the use of these assets through creating new products or
services
3. PRODUCTIVITY
Increase Total Productivity, while Increasing Jobs and
Eliminating Non-Value Added
- Minimize cost per unit of raw material
- Grow through 100% utilization of all your resources,
and generating added value
- Turn hidden assets and non-existing cash flow into bottom
line contributions for all
- Create shared services with local companies to local
communities
4. CASHFLOW
The Value of the Whole is More than the Sum of the Parts
- Produce more products and services that provide new cash
flow streams instead of producing just one core product
or service that generates just one cash flow stream
- Provide shared services with other companies
5. PRICE
Allow the Price of Core Product to Slide to Zero
- Increase revenue by increasing your value added, instead
of just trying to increase margin
- Retain your customer and distribution streams through
building up depth in your product portfolio
- Use existing distribution streams to send new innovative
and clustered products and services which reflect the quality
and the vision of your system of production and consumption
6. QUALITY
Strive to Offer Higher Quality at Lower Prices
- Reduce bureaucracy, waste, and under-utilized assets
that cost consumers money
- Fully utilize all your resources so you are creating
optimum value for the consumer, ecosystem and communities
- Recognize that consumers do not want toxins, unethical
products/services, or to be lied to.
- Practice transparency and participation in relation to
building up the ecosystem, increasing jobs, and cutting
pollution
- Create a strong company brand and a corporate purpose
allowing consumers to make a difference while buying your
products and services
7. COMPETITIVENESS
Compete on the Basis of Economy of Scope Instead of the Economy
of Scale
- Improve quality
- Increase the number of products from the existing and
available material stream
8. PLACE
Create Local Clustered Opportunities
- Build on biodiversity to create clusters of products
which rely on the local ecosystem
- Respond to local needs with local solutions with what
is available locally
- Address local issues, respond to local dreams creating
initiatives which address multiple agendas simultaneously
- Certify your products based on local tradition and culture
9. INNOVATION
Faster and More with Less Risk
- Benchmark innovations with the best performance of nature
- Build on the biodiversity of nature to create clusters
of products which rely on the local ecosystem
- Impose impossible targets ... like produce at ambient
temperature and pressure
10. DIVERSIFICATION
Diversify Within Your Ecosystem
- Convert waste streams into new value added, converting
hidden assets into cash flow- generating activities
- While maintaining the core business, secure complementary
activities
- Innovate products and services from within the existing
system instead of searching for solutions outside
11. MANAGEMENT
From DNA to the Immune System
- Share the vision -- a strong purpose that binds the web
together into a network
- Make everyone in the company an integrated strategic
thinker, challenging "do as usual" and
prepared to provide feedback on how to improve
- Operate without a central command and decision making
-- trust everyone in the network
- Agree to target total productivity, and embark on a never-ending
quest for ever more value with what one has
12. THERMODYNAMICS
Create Products and Processes at Ambient Temperature and
Pressure
- Integrate and separate materials at ambient temperature
and pressure
- Operate an open system; don’t try to make a closed
system
- Rely on creativity and innovation to provide leadership
©2008 Sustainnovation Consulting, Inc.
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