Manufacturing Medium-Sized Company Sustainability Guides

Practical actions for cost saving, efficiency and long-term resilience

For medium-sized manufacturers and workshops

Main focus

Manufacturing companies often use more energy, materials and equipment than other sectors. The biggest opportunities usually come from reducing machine idle time, improving maintenance, cutting material waste and using production data more effectively.

Start with your biggest costs

Review your monthly costs in three areas:

• Electricity and gas

• Raw materials

• Machine maintenance and downtime

Ask each department to identify one area where money is being wasted.

Reduce energy use

Key actions

• Track energy use by production line or department.

• Switch off machines when they are not in use.

• Service machines regularly to keep them efficient.

• Check for compressed air leaks if you use air systems.

• Use LED lighting in production, storage and office areas.

• Set clear shut-down procedures for the end of each shift.

Good practice

Create an energy checklist for supervisors to complete at the end of each day.

Reduce material waste

Key actions

• Track material waste by product, process or team.

• Reuse offcuts or leftover materials where safe and practical.

• Improve cutting, batching or production planning.

• Check whether rejected products can be repaired, reused or recycled.

• Review supplier packaging and ask for less wasteful options.

Good practice

Set a monthly target such as:

Reduce material waste by 5% over the next quarter.

Improve daily operations

Key actions

• Use maintenance logs to reduce breakdowns.

• Train staff to report waste, leaks or machine problems early.

• Review production schedules to avoid overproduction.

• Use digital stock control where possible.

• Link sustainability actions to quality control and cost reduction.

Procurement and suppliers

Medium-sized manufacturers often have more buying power than small businesses. Use this to improve sustainability.

Key actions

• Ask suppliers about packaging reduction.

• Choose durable materials and parts where possible.

• Compare suppliers on cost, reliability and waste impact.

• Include sustainability questions in supplier reviews.

What to track

Use simple monthly indicators:

Area	What to measure
Energy	kWh per product or production hour
Waste	kg of material waste per month
Maintenance	downtime hours
Stock	unused or slow-moving materials
Cost	monthly energy and material cost

First 30 days

1. Identify the most energy-intensive machine or process.

2. Measure material waste for one production line.

3. Create a daily shutdown checklist.

4. Ask supervisors to report one waste issue per week.

5. Choose three actions for the next quarter.