Keeping the emerald isle green

As companies across all sectors struggle to gain control of their carbon footprint – Olympus Ireland have taken the environmental bull by the horns and gently led it to a perfectly preserved grass field. Here, Richard Hayhurst takes us through the measures taken to go green  

After numerous bat, avian, flora and fauna studies, an archaeological survey, shadowgraphs, flight path impact surveys, mobile phone operator discussions, numerous public consultations and photomontages from ever neighbour’s viewpoint, the Environmental Action Team (EAT) at Olympus were beginning to think they had bitten off more than they could chew trying to get permission for their latest project, a wind turbine. However, they are nothing but persistent, driven by a real conviction in what they are doing to ensure the plant operates in harmony with one of the most beautiful settings for a diagnostic plant in the world. And as Laboratory News went to press, a decision was expected from Clare County Council, which sets some of the strictest environmental laws in the country, to approve the new 330kw/hr turbine which will provide 30% of the plant’s electricity needs.

"The anglers are the ultimate judges of water quality - as long as we can keep them happy we are doing a good job"

The wind turbine is the latest in a series of measures to ensure the plant, which manufactures all reagents for both Olympus clinical chemistry and immunoassay systems, operates to the highest environmental standards. The plant is already ISO14001 accredited. However these measures started from the moment Olympus acquired the plant back in the late 90s long before green became fashionable. The 300-acre walled site is one of Ireland’s largest intact estates having been the seat of the O’Callaghan family for hundreds of years. Unfortunately the old house fell into disrepair in the 50s and was pulled down, but Olympus still acquired a beautiful setting from the German company Fleming Diagnostics who had been operating a reagent business since the 60s. According to Managing Director Piers Devereux the decision to be green was easy: “Just driving to work here immediately gives you a sense of responsibility and stewardship and we decided to ensure we had as clean a footprint as possible.”

Ireland is the only reagent manufacturer in the Olympus corporation, and whilst there are overall green policies, the plant has been a pioneer in many ways. “The corporation is very environmentally aware, perhaps because of experience with the camera division on issues such as battery disposal and packaging recycling,” explains Devereux. “However, for us the starting point is quite different to these primarily equipment-orientated manufacturers. Our work is based on mixing chemicals and water, so whilst we are not great energy users, we do have a major waste disposal challenge.”

Olympus currently uses some 60,000L of water per day of which 22,000L are de-ionized for product use. Process waste water generated by the manufacturing process is dealt with on site. In addition there are two other waste output streams – chemical waste and effluent. One of the many assets of the site is that it is self-sufficient in water, drawing from ground wells. Realising that such water is precious, the company has gone to great lengths to reduce in-process wastage. One of the key stages is obviously the initial chemical and water mixing which is performed in a wide range of receptacles – from 50L containers to giant 20,000L custom-built tanks. Because Ireland is the global supplier for Olympus, these containers are in constant use – washing is therefore a major issue. Giant “dishwashers” have been installed using recycled water for the initial cycles and new water only for the final rinsing.

Although the manufacturing processes are relatively energy efficient, there is a dead load of around 80% caused by the need for refrigeration of components and finished product prior to shipping. This is where the wind turbine comes in, although Olympus already has an electricity supply contract in place which ensures their electricity comes only from renewable sources. Treating chemical waste is the other main energy consumption point and here the company has run a pilot scheme using reverse osmosis to concentrate the waste, which could take care of 80% of the waste out as water. Although it is not economically viable at this moment, the EAT team has this project up its sleeve for when the cost of waste disposal becomes too expensive.
 
Walking through the plant, what is impressive is that Olympus has not just concentrated on the obvious. Indeed it seems the EAT team gets just as much satisfaction from the smaller changes. These of course all add up, explains Dermot Freeman, operations manager “For example, pressure has been applied to suppliers to reduce packaging on goods inward. Then for finished product, as well as the amount of packaging used being reduced and taken from recycled sources, printing has gone back to simple black and white allowing for les ink to be used. The company has also revised its policy on pack information, which was resulting in acres of paper being used to produce Instructions for Use (IFUs) in multi-language format. Now this is provided in a binder sent directly to each end user in their relevant local language. Environmental practices have also been built into the general “good housekeeping” rules to which the plant operates. Nothing is out of place and we have developed waste segregation into a fine art with clearly marked individual bins for everything down to printing ribbons. Waste costs are not just about wasted materials. These materials then need to be disposed of correctly and this is often many times the original cost of the waste. Waste elimination is a key priority with Olympus and despite the fact we have reduced our waste by significant quantities, it is still a major expense as the cost of waste disposal rises as fast as we reduce it.”

Worms are used literally to eat away effluent

The plant has a large and stable workforce, who also take pride in the site. Therefore, there is no shortage of volunteers for the Environmental Action Team (EAT). They meet regularly to discuss and initiate ideas – indeed every purchase is accessed on a BATNEC (Best Available Technology No Environmental Cost) basis. The impact of product changes are also thoroughly investigated – these can be for a variety of reasons ranging from modified specifications to new suppliers. An annual assessment is also made of all the plant processes.

Another of the EAT’s green brainwaves has been on heating. Realising the estate also has 80 acres of forest, the team came up with the idea of a woodchip boiler which is now producing carbon-neutral heating. Up to six weeks supply of woodchip is stored at a time. Another idea currently under consideration is to plant a willow grove to further filter wastewater and provide another source of bio-fuel for the heating system.

A step outside the back of the ultra-modern plant puts everything in perspective. A Neolithic dolmen rests less than a hundred metres away, whilst a herd of beef cattle grazes contentedly in the lush green pasture. Also, hidden beyond the forest line is one of Clare’s most prized fishing lakes, half of which belongs to the estate. “The anglers are the ultimate judges of water quality – as long as we can keep them happy we are doing a good job,” comments Freeman. There are regular visits by the local angling club to view the work on the site and to be reassured that their interests are being protected. A series of innovative measures ensures wastewater and effluent has no impact. As mentioned previously, chemical waste is separated and shipped off site for responsible disposal. In-process water first has its ph adjusted and is then filtered through a series of reed beds before discharge.

Effluent meanwhile literally becomes worm fodder. Filtered into a large silo, the sludge is attacked by worms to such an effect that soon green tomato shoots are sprouting. The water carries on through the process to the water filtration system and the solid waste provides fertiliser for the estate.

“It is also important to remember that ISO14001 is a continuous process and thus there is no resting on green laurels,” continues Freeman. “This year for example we have four main objectives which are also in line with overall Olympus corporate objectives. The first is achieving a 6% reduction in the total amount of waste per unit of sales to landfill compared to last year. This will be achieved by establishing the baseline, producing a pareto analysis on waste types/weights and then identifying actionable projects. Objective 2 involves reducing CO2 emissions or our carbon footprint. Again, this is achieved by first developing and implementing a model for understanding and measuring our CO2 footprint before setting targets to reduce our CO2 emissions going forward in line with goals. Next, again in line with overall corporate policy we are looking to design all our new products as Eco-products and develop an ECO Product Standard. This fascinating and challenging area involves understanding that design and development plays a key role in a product’s total environmental load. We will also utilise LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) to develop environmentally conscious designs and install technical measures in the manufacturing process to cut environmental load. Finally since legislation is continually changing in this field, we are conducting an audit to ensure we remain fully compliant.”

From the shopfloor to senior management, green attitudes have thus become embedded in Olympus Ireland with the last word going to Devereux: “Although we have spoken about our social and corporate responsibility to take care of this beautiful estate, we also see it making good business sense. Whilst the payback is slightly longer on measures we take, the benefits are becoming clearer and clearer. As well as reducing operating, production and disposal costs, we are for example being increasingly asked by customers about our environmental credentials, with an ISO accreditation requirement being included in tenders. For all these reasons we are committed to maintaining our position, we believe, as one of the “greenest” diagnostics manufacturers in the UK and Ireland, if not worldwide.”

By Dermot Freeman. Dermot is the Operations Manager at Olympus and has had nearly 30 years involvement with manufacturing techniques & automation. A pioneer of Lean Techniques, he believes that “Green is Lean” and contrary to public opinion, taking the “Green” option is often the most financially viable in the medium to long term.