New light on corporate waste

Waste from the manufacturing of new materials for products accounts for a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In the upcoming research project ‘Corporate Waste Governance’, Morten Bennedsen, Professor at the Department of Economics, will document that comparable companies have vastly different waste volumes and recycling patterns – even though they have access to the same technologies and waste systems.

‘The goal is to deliver new recommendations that can both effectively and cheaply reduce companies‘ environmental impact – even with existing technology and low costs,’ says Morten Bennedsen.

The solutions already exist

The project focuses on how company owners, managers, employees and lenders affect waste management differently. Morten Bennedsen will map this with a unique set of data on Danish companies' waste management.

‘A better understanding of the reasons for companies‘ different waste practices will help both companies and policy makers make decisions and design sustainable policies,’ says Morten Bennedsen.

‘We explain the differences based on the way companies make decisions and either opt in or out of green solutions and investments,’ he says.

Under the theme ‘Free Green Research’, Independent Research Fund Denmark is supporting the project with DKK 3.2 million.

Small improvements can have a big, global impact

Research shows that global waste production is expected to increase from 2.01 billion tonnes in 2018 to around 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050.

In Denmark, which has one of the world's most efficient waste systems, corporate waste generation is estimated to be 4kg per day per capita.

‘Any marginal improvement in Danish companies' recycling of waste will help our domestic companies. But not just them: The effects are likely to spread to companies in many other countries,’ says Morten Bennedsen and continues:

‘We have a unique opportunity to create new knowledge that can help companies around the world become more sustainable.’