“The biggest positive impact would come if humans and businesses start to understand waste as own failure”.

Michael Rada is the founder of INDUSTRY 5.0. In 2013, after 23 years of business experience, he decided to break out of a corporate career and set out to create a Wasteless World. By applying systematic waste prevention methodology, in the real-world environment, he has prevented more than one million tons of material and products from becoming waste. Prevention for him is the only cure for combating generation of waste. His work is all about getting this right.

Michael is a much sought-after public speaker and an active blogger both in English and native Czech. He remains involved in teaching Logistics, Global Supply Chain Efficiency, Sustainability, and Innovations to schools and universities. The very disciplines that he applies in making INDUSTRY 5.0 work.

Praveen Gupta: What exactly is International Business Center of Sustainable Development (IBCSD) about?

Michael Rada: IBCSD LAB Ltd, is a company established as a ground stone for the international network of LABs and WERKS set to proceed with systematic waste prevention methodology and its implementation in the local markets. If we imagine this network as a human body IBCSD LAB (CZECH) is the brain, National LABS are the synapsis and the WERKS are the hands and legs.

IBCSD LAB Ltd, is a company established as a ground stone for the international network of LABs and WERKS set to proceed with systematic waste prevention methodology

PG: To what extent does industrial waste impact sustainability of our Planet? What is the scale and how is it compounding?

MR: Industrial waste (produced in various forms in an industrial environment) volume accounts for 60-80% of the total waste generated by humans. It consists of multiple types of waste from NG and obsolete material, CO2 emissions, increased traffic volumes and consumption of land by industrial operations. INDUSTRY 5.0 and Industrial Upcycling categorise waste into Physical, Social, Urban, and Process Waste.

Industrial waste (produced in various forms in an industrial environment) volume accounts for 60-80% of the total waste generated by humans.

PG: Would INDUSTRY 5.0 mean safer processes, more automation, and lesser power consumption? Does it have own standards like for instance the ISO?

MR: INDUSTRY 5.0 means more efficient production matching the consumption. It results in safer environment where machines support human work, but do not decide what humans should do. This is connected to reduced and balanced power consumption as well. There are standards. However, no methodology as in ISO have been developed as yet – because we concentrate on delivering results first. To achieve the change no capital investment is usually needed, it is basically about changing the process. Digitalisation is one of the tools, but not a pre-condition.

INDUSTRY 5.0 means more efficient production matching the consumption... To achieve the change no capital investment is usually needed, it is basically about changing the process.

PG: Industrial waste is a product of technology. To what extent does technology need to be fixed to mitigate the harmful effects of waste?

MR: It is an interesting question. In my opinion, waste is not a product of technology, not in direct relation. In fact, in many cases, it is the result of not so efficient cooperation between man and machine or technology. At the same time, many wastes are generated by wrong or “none” planning at all.

Waste is not a product of technology… it is the result of not so efficient cooperation between man and machine or technology.

The biggest positive impact would come if humans and businesses start to understand waste as own failure. This will help waste prevention. The harm from waste is often on account of the wrong human interaction and understanding of the topic. For instance “Plastic Is Evil” is not true. Plastic is just one of the crude oil derivates and can be turned back to oil. In fact the true evil is the Single-Use, no matter which material we talk about.

PG: Much of what we extract does not circulate? Do you believe a circular economy will be less wasteful?

MR: The current numbers indicate that only less than 10% are directly recovered, globally less than 50% is being recycled. This will change if systematic waste prevention is applied and people and businesses recognise how waste can be prevented. Circular economy concentrates more on the ECONOMY, this is why it is struggling.

INDUSTRY 5.0 concentrates on production and processes. That makes the application fast and efficient. This is also why it has already prevented over a million tons of products from becoming waste. The number is growing fast. If the circular economy keeps concentrating on the economy, it will not decrease the volume of waste. This is primarily because for Circular Economy – Waste Is Treasure! Therefore, there is no real reason to avoid or “kill” treasure.

For Circular Economy – Waste Is Treasure! Therefore, there is no real reason to avoid or “kill” treasure.

PG: As individual consumption levels rise and populous countries like China and India urbanise, the non-industrial waste is an equally threatening development.

MR: The most visible share of the non-industrial waste is represented by municipal waste and 70-75% of this is related to packaging. The issue with this waste is that it contains a wide variety of materials, sizes, and shapes, frequently polluted by other materials. There are only two ways to process  it –  landfill or burn. Thanks to the recent developments – even this type of material can be processed into oil and carbon fraction. Thereby it can be used as raw material for further production. The latest numbers presented by the World Bank Group indicates more than 2 billion metric tons of municipal waste will be generated yearly.

PG: Are any of the multilateral agencies focused on addressing the challenge. For instance, does any of the SDG talk about waste management?

MR: As of now it is only IBCSD LAB which is implementing the systematic waste prevention methodology using INDUSTRIAL UPCYCLING and INDUSTRY 5.0 as the tools. SDG goals have been set later. Those refer to waste and prevention, but just as the Circular Economy it considers waste as treasure – which means true waste prevention is not being applied.

SDG Goal12 is the closest to the topic. However, it speaks about recycling and this can be realised only if waste is being generated. Likewise, other global institutions and organisations concentrate on “Clean Up” but not on prevention.

SDG Goal12…speaks about recycling and this can be realised only if waste is being generated...other global institutions and organisations concentrate on “Clean Up” but not on prevention.

PG: Shouldn’t industrial companies be responsible for the waste their businesses generate? The most amount of plastic seen in our oceans are plastic bottles from Coke and Pepsi.

MR: Industrial companies should be directly responsibile. At the same time, the indirect responsibility in the form of handing the responsibility to others (likes of CO2 EMISSION TRADING, GREEN PUNKT, and EKO-KOM) should be limited or eliminated. The responsibility for keeping the bottles out of the ocean should shared between Plastic Granulate Producer – Bottle Producer - Beverage Producer – Retail Store - Consumer. Shared responsibility will eliminate the possibility of one blaming the other. In the end nobody is responsible for the damage that happens.

Shared responsibility will eliminate the possibility of one blaming the other. In the end nobody is responsible for the damage that happens.

PG: In a recent post you have highlighted the blindness of giants. The bigger a company need not make it a bigger waster?

MR: Giants are none other than the bigger entities. Because we speak of giants, the volume of “nutrition = money = profit” has to be adequate. Many giants see only nice tables and charts presented by those who live from giants disability to see the reality, but there is one common wake up call and question which work with all of them. “Do You Want To Generate Waste Or Profit?” It is not the Ecology, but the Economy which moves them to change. The big advantage of INDUSTRY 5.0 and Industrial Upcycling is that there is no need for capital investment at the beginning to generate savings. This is why so many consider the change or realise the value already.

“Do You Want To Generate Waste Or Profit?” It is not the Ecology, but the Economy which moves them to change.

PG: Do you factor wastage of natural resources. Water being one?

MR: WATER is one of the most precious resources we prevent from being wasted. At the moment there are three successful projects - Low-Pressure Dry Fog Firefighting (95% of water reduction), Water Pump Floris (Deep Drill Water Supply) and Grey Water Recovery systems. It is very important for me to completely eliminate the wastage of water. This is why I am trying to increase the efficiency of processes and water delivery. Likewise, I am also supporting many other projects including vertical farming and green roofs.

WATER is one of the most precious resources we prevent from being wasted.

All these projects are running starting from Czech Republic, many destinations already benefit from these including parts of India. Here are the links DRY FOG – https://alatyr-extinguishing-systems.com/en/ Water pump – http://pfloris.com/ Grey water recovery – only in Czech Republic – https://werowater.eu/.

PG: The fossil fuel industry is the biggest polluter today. How can INDUSTRY 5.0 fast track its transition to renewable energy?

MR: Same as in other segments it is not the fossil resources, but the decision that it should be only fossil fuel or only renewable source that deliver imbalance in the systém. In fact there can be synergy between these. There is possibility to combine efficiently various energy sources but until the arrival of INDUSTRY 5.0 it was ignored and this is starting to change.

There is possibility to combine efficiently various energy sources but until the arrival of INDUSTRY 5.0 it was ignored and this is starting to change.

PG: Is INDUSTRY 5.0 aligned to the goals of the Paris Agreement? Can it slow down the Planet’s rapidly rising temperature owing to the industrial activity?

MR: I am very sorry, but Paris Agreement has not contributed to positive change, nor has Kyoto Protocol. In fact they do very opposite, they legalise the evil by putting a price on it. Not only have we lost precious time, rather than positive impact the very opposite of declared improvement has been achieved. INDUSTRY 5.0 and systematic waste prevention have positive impact on global climate. The best proof is the COVID-19 lockdown, that cleared the sky in so many locations and cities only due to drop of production on a global level. We can not stop the climate to change, but we can stop the process of speeding up due to so called unlimited production and hunt for profit.

Paris Agreement has not contributed to positive change, nor has Kyoto Protocol. In fact they do very opposite, they legalise the evil by putting a price on it.

PG: What’s your vision?

MR: I have only one aim, to build up a world free of waste in all forms. A world in which all people can live meaningful lives in harmony with nature. For this we need to have wasteless industries and this is what INDUSTRY 5.0 principles and implementation will continue to deliver.

I have only one aim, to build up a world free of waste in all forms. A world in which all people can live meaningful lives in harmony with nature.

PG: Thanks Michael. My best wishes in your endeavours towards achieving a world free of waste.