Waste minimisation — the industrial approach

Abstract

The main objective of the chemical industry is to generate profit using chemical processes to add value to basic raw materials. This profit is distributed: (a) to shareholders through dividends; (b) employees of the company through salaries, bonuses, and profit shares; (c) to investment, building new productive capacity to grow the company; (d) to research and development to add to the company’s technology base; (e) to public relations to clean up the company’s image; (f) to housekeeping to clean up the company’s sites; and (g) to government in the form of taxes for the general good of the society in which the chemical company operates.