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CPMA launches tool to help manage waste

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has launched an online resource to help their members manage their waste more efficiently.

Developed collaboratively with Value Chain Management International (VCMI), the Waste Efficiency Tool is designed to provide businesses with a means to generate high returns on investment (ROI) by addressing waste and recurring procedural problems.

Businesses already using the tool have reportedly improved their bottom line by at least 10 percent.

Presented in 14 easy-to-navigate steps, the resource contains clearly understandable processes and techniques that are most commonly used at the start of a continuous process improvement initiative. Examples of inefficiencies that the tool helps to address include food waste (products/produce), equipment failure, lost production, energy, labour, packaging, transportation and more.

Outcomes achieved by businesses that have completed the online resource include:

• Reduced labour costs – by implementing more effective daily management systems;
• Reduced transport costs – by modifying transportation routes and protocols;
• Reduced input costs – by lowering the occurrence of wasted or damaged products;
• Increased revenue – by accessing new markets or increasing sales in current markets; and
• Increased margins – by improving the consistency and predictability of product quality.

CPMA members can register to access the tool at efficiency.cpma.ca. Non-member companies interested in accessing the tool can learn more about CPMA membership at cpma.ca/membership.