Hazardous Waste > Lean and Environment > Design Project

Lean and Environment Design Project

Take your product or process to the next level

Washington State’s Lean and the Environment Team will help you streamline the design and fabrication of a product or process, while reducing toxics used or generated.  Lean experts, environmental engineers, and specialists from Department of Ecology and Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS) will begin work with one selected company later in 2007.

Why should I sign up?  

• Consultation services with top experts in environmental and industrial design.
• Increased productivity and lower costs.
• Improved product design or redesign.
• Improved environmental performance of a facility’s processes and products.

Is my company eligible?

Successful Lean Design Project candidates will:

• Be highly motivated to find and implement alternatives to current products or processes, especially less toxic and more material-efficient alternatives. 
• Have top-level support for the project.
• Be willing to try new design changes.
• Be willing to work with Department of Ecology and WMS and provide staff time for the projects.

In addition, viable projects must have potential for environmental improvement. The project is expected to span about one year. 

Funding

Facilities are eligible to receive 50 percent of WMS service costs (up to $20,000), which will be negotiated based on total project costs.  Spend a little, save a lot…The return on investment for this project is expected to be high.

The design project will not focus on exisiting compliance issues, but Department of Ecology team members will provide assistance on regulatory questions that arise during the project. The involved Department of Ecology staff are from the pollution prevention technical assistance division, not from the compliance office.

Interested parties, please contact:

Michael Johnson of the Department of Ecology, at mjoh461@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6471, or Rhea Wallace of Washington Manufacturing Services, at rwallace@wamfg.org or 425-497-1609.