A good place to begin is by assessing the problem by identifying and reviewing your current waste streams. This will give you starting point to track progress against, and also allow you to spot where action is needed.⁴ If your audit reveals you are routinely throwing away a certain material, that could be a sign you need to order less of it, which could bring costs down.

As with any big system change, becoming a zero-waste business won’t happen overnight. But working towards a series of targets can help keep you on track to achieve the overall objective. Ensure that the goals you set are SMART: specific; measureable; attainable; relevant; and time-bound.⁵

Meeting your zero-waste goal could mean getting your staff, suppliers and customers on board, as they might be required to make behavioural changes too. You could start by making sure your employees know why these changes are important, offer training on new processes, and keep them regularly updated with progress.⁴ You may also be able to ask suppliers for support, for example by helping you to eliminate packaging waste from the goods they provide you.⁶ And customers could be encouraged to ensure the products are reused, returned or recycled in a way that aligns with your commitments.

Transforming a business to eliminate waste can take time and patience, so start with the changes that are easiest to implement. Being able to see immediate progress can help to keep your team motivated to achieve the end goal.

To minimise the waste generated by your business, as well as the raw materials it needs, your products’ lifecycle should be as long as possible. That means making sure that goods are durable and can be repaired and reused. Achieving that could mean switching to sturdier materials, offering repair services, or even running a buy-back and resale programme.⁷ According to a survey by Accenture, half of respondents said they were willing to pay more for products designed to be reused and recycled.⁸

It’s almost inevitable that you will produce some waste streams, so try to think creatively about what to do with them. Other businesses may be able to use any material offcuts or by-products created in your operations, for example. Or could you make use of any waste within your own business, for example composting organic materials on site? Aim to send waste to recycling only as a last resort.⁷

Rather than thinking about what to do with the waste your existing products create, you may see better results by redesigning them from the ground up with your zero-waste goals as a guide.⁹ Or, could you look to make changes to your business model to help reduce waste? One example is fashion retailers taking back old clothes in their stores to recycle or reuse – and often luring customers with rewards for doing so.¹⁰ Or you could consider leasing products instead of selling; once a customer no longer needs an item, you can lease it to the next customer or use the component parts to make a new product.¹¹