Waste reduction – a key issue
Ocab works to avoid demolition as far as possible and instead use restoration and dehumidification services that involve utilising existing materials. Valuing existing materials is positive for the economy, the environment and people.
Ocab provides services to the construction and property sector and thus manages waste on behalf of clients, which is carried out in accordance with legislation to protect people and the environment.
Functioning materials can often be prevented from becoming waste, for example through dehumidification, cleaning, reuse or damage prevention. Disposal of functioning materials contributes to increased extraction of raw materials.
The amount of waste increases per project, but decreases in emissions and in relation to sales. One reason for the higher volumes of waste was Storm Hans in Norway and Sweden, which caused a significant increase in projects.
The waste trend offers important information on how the operation is developing. The current mapping will accelerate our efforts to develop more efficient methods that contribute to less waste and lower emissions.
Target
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80%
Sort waste as far as possible, keeping the sorting rate above 80%
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5%
Reduce the volume of waste generated in projects by 5% from 2022 to 2024
Reduce waste
It is important for Ocab to communicate and highlight the potential of the “wall that was never torn down” or the “clothes that got a new life” by increasing the share of dehumidification and restoration services in society to reduce the amount of waste generated annually.
In 2023, Ocab managed a project for the trade association SFR(Saneringsföretagens Riksförbund – National Association of Restoration Companies) through the initiative ‘Increased restoration of movable property’.
The aim of the project was to produce a report demonstrating the financial and environmental savings of allowing restoration companies to perform their services instead of disposing of movable property, as has often been the case in the past 15 years.
The project also concluded that there is likely to be a positive impact in terms of customer satisfaction when a policyholder has their belongings returned. It is hoped that this will convince more insurance companies to use restoration as far as possible.
Innovative methods
Ocab works continuously to produce new training programmes and innovative work methods to develop our services and employees. As a result, we can avoid unnecessary demolition and generation of waste.
We are moving towards focusing more on material inventories of properties prior to restoration assignments in order to gain even better knowledge of embedded materials and increase opportunities to reuse materials.
Through Group-wide agreements with waste management companies, we intend to increase control and collaboration over time in order to achieve the best possible waste management and thus improve traceability at all stages. Cooperation with waste management companies also includes training of Ocab's staff.
Development
Waste is an area in which we have made continuous progress. We have developed procedures and templates in order to standardise how we collect information.
The collection of waste statistics still requires some manual handling to ensure the correct volumes and waste codes. Improvement initiatives will continue in 2024 and are an important part of our procurement strategy.
Read more about what we do in each area