Reducing Waste

Reducing Waste at Dentsply Sirona

We continually seek out the best practices in waste management, including reducing the amount of hazardous waste generated by our production process. Our new global waste reduction strategy, currently in development, will enable us to achieve our recently published waste reduction goal. A core part of our waste reduction approach is identifying opportunities to reduce the use of single-use plastic and paper waste through innovation and leveraging technology.

Waste Reduction Initiatives

Inline process piping, eliminating manual additions and material losses

Installation of water coolers to eliminate single-use plastic waste

Reduction of production waste through use of digital tools and Lean methodology

Eliminating printing of Instructions for Product Use documents

Paper recycling programs

Success in Waste Management for Dentsply Sirona at Different Facilities

Several initiatives achieved success in waste management, recycling, and reuse at a number of our facilities throughout 2020.

Hanau, Germany

We switched our instructions for use (IFU) from paper to digital, reducing paper waste by about 1 ton.

Tokyo, Japan

In October 2020, we switched to recycling all titanium chips, previously an industrial waste product generated from the milling process at our Tokyo site. A precious metals recycling services provider now collects the chips and recycles them into other productivity uses.

Bensheim, Germany

We reduced total waste from 2,066 tons in 2017 to 1,658 tons in 2019. In 2020, it was reduced even more to 970 tons. Waste at the site is divided into hazardous and non-hazardous waste, then classified as waste for recycling and waste for disposal. To achieve a significantly improved recycling rate, waste separation is monitored. The rate has increased from 95.3% in 2017 to 98.2% in 2020.

Ballaigues, Switzerland

In 2019 an advancement in the cooling production process eliminated water consumption.

Mölndal, Sweden

In manufacturing, hard paper is now recycled, and recycling stations in restrooms now have more sorting options for different waste types such as paper and plastic. Single-use paper cups have been replaced with recyclable options.

Johnson City, U.S.

A program to reduce hazardous waste saw the site categorized as a Small Quantity Generator (SQG) in 2019, and then a Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG) in 2020. Since the program began in 2017, annual hazardous waste has decreased from 1,775lb (805kg) to 335lb (152kg) in 2020. As a result of these initiatives, we have also seen a consistent trend of reduced waste costs.

Our Bensheim site has been certified in accordance with EMAS since 1996. EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is a European Union environmental management scheme through which companies can improve their environmental performance. It goes beyond the requirements of the environmental management standard ISO 14 001 and promotes best practice in environmentally sustainable operations.

As well as EMAS, Dentsply Sirona Germany is also a member of the Hessian Environmental Alliance which works to reinforce members’ responsibility for the environment, to reduce bureaucracy and encourage environmental protection.

In 2015, the Bensheim site established ambitious energy-related saving targets through the “Learning Energy Efficiency Network Frankfurt Energy Rhine Main” environmental agreement, along with nine other employers in the region.

The Bensheim site sets itself targets within the framework of Dentsply Sirona’s environmental management system, which is published online in the annually updated environmental statement. One of these goals is to increase the use of renewable electricity. Usage at the site increased from 55% in 2019 to 65% in 2020. Bensheim also achieved a 28.8 MT reduction of hazardous waste in 2019, and a 15.1 MT reduction in 2020.