While reducing waste is 3M’s first choice for waste management, reusing, recycling, and composting can also fuel the circular economy. We follow 3M’s Waste Management Standard and regularly review results against goals and tracking metrics for each of our operational geographic areas.
Our zero landfill goal is intended to drive our sites to increase product and process optimization, on-site and offsite recycling, and composting. 3M considers a manufacturing site to be zero landfill when no byproduct has been sent directly to a landfill in a full calendar year.1 Waste, as defined here, does not include ash generated from 3M material sent to a waste-to-energy or incineration site controlled by a third party.
In addition, our product development teams strive to design products that are durable, refillable, and made with less material whenever possible, all with an eye on reducing waste.
An industry first, 3M’s 3P program, developed in 1975, is based on the belief that preventing pollution is more environmentally effective and more socially acceptable than treatment. In the last 48 years, the program has prevented nearly 2.89 million short tons of pollution, based on aggregated data from the first year of each 3P project.
In our efforts to reduce waste in our operations, we’ve repurposed a byproduct of our roofing granules. The product we created, 3M™ Natural Pozzolans, can be used as a partial cement replacement to help lower the CO2 emissions of concrete. For every ton of natural pozzolans used, CO2 emissions can be reduced by an estimated 0.75 tons. Natural pozzolans also count toward LEED credits for the use of recycled materials.
In 2023, we renewed our membership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate the movement toward using recycled and renewable raw materials in our product and package designs.
In the U.S., 3M continued to engage with The Recycling Partnership through financial support as a corporate partner. The Recycling Partnership uses public-private partnerships to improve residents’ access to recycling at the local level.