Figure 1 – In addition to reducing waste, recycling was another tool for the program, which uses line scrap made in the creation of solid surface by grinding it for particulate in the Corian Terra Collection of solid surface. Blackbelt Global Project Leader Dave Walter. “In truth, finding the companies and people who
could help us on this front was one of the most challenging things about the project, and we
devoted a lot of time to finding the right uses and application for our waste streams.”
DuPont Building Innovations, the leading supplier of solid surfacing material for McDonald’s restaurants, was the first
company ever awarded McDonald’s Supplier Sustainability Award.
The Six Sigma business management
“In keeping with McDonald’s priorities, we
years of the project, which was critical in
Award as a way to recognize suppliers that
involved. Using this approach allowed the team
products and services that contribute to the
were generated and how much waste was being
said Jim Carras, senior vice president of U.S.
methodology was used throughout the three
developed our new Supplier Sustainability
helping the team map out all the waste streams
demonstrate leadership and provide us with
to understand where and why waste streams
environmental sustainability of our restaurants,”
produced by each.
Restaurant Development for McDonald’s. “We
DuPont uses Six Sigma methodology across the
corporation as a disciplined, data-driven business management strategy to help eliminate defects
congratulate DuPont Building Innovations on
being the first company to be recognized with
this award for their environmental stewardship.”
and reduce waste, explained Walter. “We used a
In addition to the positive benefits associated
year life of the project and continue to use these
achievements were accomplished with no
our locations to ensure we stay at zero landfill.
financial benefit to the business.
number of Six Sigma tools throughout the three-
with corporate responsibility, the program
tools to help monitor our performance at each of
capital expenditures, and actually provided a
There was a tremendous amount of data here
While DuPont accomplished its zero landfill goal,
that needed to be looked at. Six Sigma essentially helped us make sense of it all.”
Figure 2 – Crushed Corian scrap is repurposed as road sub-base material and also turned into landscaping material.
the challenge for environmental responsibility
doesn’t necessarily end there. The company has
Figure 3 – Every stream of waste was taken into account, including carrier belt film being melted down for adhesive; sanding waste from Zodiaq and Corian being used as a filler in concrete; pallets being reused an repaired or turned into animal bedding; and even cafeteria waste being repurposed in worm bedding. this is all being sorted through, we recommend
The landfill project was particularly unique in that it
also given much thought to the waste generated
are often made for other companies. This meant
“We continue to look at the possibilities here
Humanity or a local trade school who may have
DuPont fabricators,” said Walter. “It is not
team members in our Wilmington, Del., office
this waste up and haul it back to DuPont’s
Ronald McDonald house by selling decorative
consumed in the process. We have instead been
Corian color samples. It really is amazing what
included third-party partner sites, where products
that the project team had to manage the challenge of eliminating all unrelated product manufacturing landfill waste. But, it did so, and some locations even beat the company’s three-year goal.
“The feedback from our customers has been tremendous,” said McCann. “In fact, DuPont
Building Innovations recently won McDonald’s Restaurant Division’s first-ever Sustainability
Award, which I think tells you just how much one
of our largest customers values what we’ve done
in reaching zero landfill. I’m proud of this initiative and what it says about our business at DuPont.”
by fabricators of Corian and/or Zodiaq.
that fabricators look at donation options like the Storehouse of World Vision, Habitat For
and would like to have an option to offer our
a usage for scrap material,” he added. “Some
environmentally friendly to have to pick all of
just donated several thousand dollars to the local
manufacturing sites for recycling due to the fuel
magnets that were created using discarded
looking at more regionalized options that could be utilized.”
“There are a number of regulatory approvals
that are needed to be able to use ground solid surface scrap as drainage rock or in road sub base, so it is going to take some time. While
people can do when they collaborate and think creatively to help solve a problem.” For more information visit www2.dupont.com/ Building_and_Construction/en_US/sustainable_ building.html, call (800) 426-7426 or email patricia.r.seif@dupont.com. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 5 / Issue 2 • 21