Operational Sustainability & Waste Reduction Checklist

Interactive checklist to identify, estimate, and track energy and material waste opportunities at process and site levels. Captures quick-win actions, estimated impact and payback heuristics, and notes for follow-up.

Interactive Tool

Operational Sustainability & Waste Reduction Checklist

Use this checklist during a site or process walkdown to surface common sources of energy and material waste, capture simple measurements or estimates, and record quick-win actions with estimated payback. The form is intentionally pragmatic — collect what you can, prioritize the highest-impact items, and use saved responses to track follow-up and measure results.

  • How to use: answer the yes/no prompts, add numeric estimates where possible (energy, cost, or hours), and record proposed quick-win actions and estimated payback in days. If you don't have exact numbers, enter your best estimate — even rough data helps prioritize.
  • Sample heuristics: a typical compressed-air leak at 5 scfm can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars/year depending on pressure and run hours; an LED retrofit often pays back within 1–3 years depending on hours and rebates; simple controls to eliminate idling can often pay back in weeks to months.
Name of facility, building, area, or process (e.g., Plant A - Compressors Bay)
Person completing the checklist
Use ISO date format
Includes hissing sounds, dripping or visible leaks from fittings, hoses, or connections
If you have a number from a leak survey, enter it. Otherwise provide a rough estimate or leave blank.
e.g., tag-and-repair program, replace dead-end lines, add auto-shutdowns
Rough days-to-payback for the action
Motors, conveyors, heaters, or vehicles left on when not required
Estimate aggregate hours that could be eliminated by controls or behavior change
e.g., timers, SOP changes, operator training, auto-shutdowns
Drafts, blocked vents, poor zoning, inconsistent temps, or oversized/heavily cycled equipment
e.g., programmable thermostats, zone balancing, sealing ducts, improving insulation
Look for excess packing, incorrect box sizes, or material choices that increase cost or waste
e.g., standardize kitting, right-size packaging, use less filler
Rejects, rework stations, excessive trim or off-spec product
If unknown, best estimate helps prioritize
e.g., adjust settings, poka-yoke, operator coaching
Energy meters, kWh displays, scrap logs, shift-level dashboards, or basic KPIs
e.g., install submeter, add a daily energy KPI on shift board
Describe the action, owner, simple success metric, and expected payback days
Describe the action, owner, simple success metric, and expected payback days
Describe the action, owner, simple success metric, and expected payback days
Anything else worth recording for follow-up or investigation
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