These case studies are collected from across the country to help businesses from a variety of industries implement more sustainable practices. Though a few come from larger businesses, the topics are relevant to small businesses. These examples cover a variety of sustainability opportunities, from recycling to hazardous material substitution, and can help generate ideas and demonstrate how to implement new practices successfully.
We are continually updating this page and looking for new case studies. If you have a case study you’d like to share, please e-mail it to info@nationalsbeap.org.
Agriculture
- Elimination of Pesticide Use in Beef Production - Kentucky Excellence in Environmental Leadership
- Energy Conservation and Envrionmental Sustainability-MNTAP
- Energy Conservation and Reduction of Wastewater Discharge
- Farm seeks to Make Bioplastic from Horse Manure
- Reducing Environmental Impacts in Organic Farming
- Surface Water Protection in Livestock Farming - Kentucky Excellence in Environmental Leadership
- Waste, Energy, Water, and Toxics Management at a Nursery - Maryland Green Registry
Aircraft
- Hazardous Waste Reduction in Aerospace Parts Manufacturing
- Solvent Reduction in Aerostructures Manufacturing
- Waste Diversion Strategies in Aerospace Company
- Waste and Energy Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Use Reduction in Cutting Sheet Metal - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
Aluminum
- Energy Conservation - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Hazardous Material Reduction - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance and Toxics Use Reduction Institute
- Waste Reduction in Aluminum Product Manufacturing
- Wastewater Reduction in Aluminum Anodizing Company
- Water Conservation in Aluminum Can Manufacturing - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
Autobody
- Energy Conservation in Powersports Industry
- Energy Conservation in Truck Accessories Manufacturing
- Parts Washing - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- Reducing Metal Scrap Waste and Improving Energy Efficiency in Automotive Tool Manufacturing
- Water-Based Paint, Material Reduction, and Recycling - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- VOC Reduction and Energy Conservation - Maryland Green Registry
- Workshop Auto Minimizes Use of Hazardous Chemicals - TURI
Chemicals
- Energy Conservation, Waste Reduction, and Watershed Protection in a Distillery - Kentucky Excellence in Environmental Leadership Program
- Improved Controls on Wastewater Treatment in Fertilizer Production - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- More Efficient Use of Wastewater Treatment Chemicals in Fertilizer Production - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Outstanding Bath Refinishing Sees Success with Safer Stripping Product - TURI
- Riverdale Mills Innovates to Reduce Chemical Use - TURI
- Solid Waste and Water Conservation in Enzyme and Fermentate Production - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Water Conservation in Manufacturing of Water Testing Supplies - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Construction
- Environmentally Friendly Purchasing and Design in Deck Construction - Maryland Green Registry
- Toxic Material Reduction - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- Toxics Reduction and Waste Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Various Environmental Measures in Home Construction - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Conservation in Manufacturing Roofing Materials - Minnestota Technical Assistance Program
- Water Conservation in Ready Mixed Concrete - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
Die Casting
- Energy Conservation in Automotive Parts Manufacturing - Tennessee Green Star Partnership
- Utilizing Ultrafiltration in the Vibratory Process
Dry Cleaning
- Perc Replacement and Waste reduction - Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
- Waste Reduction - Maryland Green Registry
Electric/Power/Energy
- Energy Conservation in Lighting System Manufacturing
- LED Retrofit, Renewable Energy, and Other Environmental Measures - Maryland Green Registry
- Reducing Solid Waste Production Through Source Reduction and Recycling
- Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation, and Other Environmental Measures - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Conservation, Reduced Transportation, and Other Environmental Measures - Maryland Green Registry
Electronics/Computers
- Energy and Water Conservation and Recovery of Acids and Solvents - Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
- Energy Conservation in a Datacenter - Maryland Green Registry
- Energy Conservation in Technology Manufacturing
- Waste and Energy Management for IT - Maryland Green Registry
- Water and Wastewater Reduction - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Water Conservation and Reduction in Use of Treatment Chemicals - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- Water Management in Electronic Manufacturing
Food
- Distillery Water Mapping and Wastewater Reduction - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Heat Recovery System in Brewery
- Lean Manufacturing Implementation at Food & Beverage Processing and Manufacturing Facilities - TURI
- Potato Processing Plant - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Reduced Water Usage at Family-Owned Ice Cream Manufacturer
- Resource Conservation in Brewing Practices
- Smoked Sausage Manufacturer Pollution Prevention Case Study (2018) - Kansas State University Pollution Prevention Institute
Forest Products
- Control System Recommendation to Monitor and Regulate Airflows in Cabinetry Manufacturing
- Solvent Recycling, Solid Waste Reduction, and Energy Conservation in Cabinetry Manufacturing
- Solvent Reduction - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Reduction in Cabinetry Manufacturing
- Water and Energy Conservation - Regional E3 Project (Danville/Pittsylvania County, Virginia)
Furniture
- Cabinet Manufacturer Pollution Prevention Case Study - K-State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Impacts of Life Cycle Assessment on products envrionmental footprint - Oregon DEQ
- Powder Coating with High Efficiency Oven - Maryland Green Registry
- Supply Chain Sustainability Assessment - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Waste Reduction and Recovery for Paint and Wood Waste - Iowa DNR
- Waste Reduction and Solvent Elimination in Wood Finishing - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Conservation and Reduction in Use of Plating Chemicals - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
General Small Business
- Energy and Water Conservation in an Office Building - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Energy Conservation in Multiple Businesses - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Waste and Toxics Reduction in Skin Care Products - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Diversion and Water Conservation in an Office Building - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Water, Waste, and Energy Management - Maryland Green Registry
Hospitals/Medical
- Energy and Water Conservation in a Health Services Provider
- Minimizing Waste Streams in Hospital Equipment Manufacturing
- Waste and Energy Management in Home Health Care Services - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Management and Toxics Reduction - Maryland Green Registry
- Water and Energy Efficiency at Hospital Facilities - Minnesota Technical Assistance Provider
- Water Conservation and Waste Management in a Dental Practice - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Conservation and Waste Reduction at a Medical Device Manufacturer
Hotels
- Energy and Water Reductions in Network of Hostels
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Waste and Stormwater Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Hotel Implements Sustainability and Composting Programs
- Toxics, Energy, and Wast Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste, Energy, and Toxics Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Reduction, Water and Energy Conservation, and Other Environmental Measures at a Small Inn - Maryland Green Registry
Iron and Steel
- Air Quality Improvement - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Energy and Waste Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Energy Conservation in Steel Foundry - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Reducing Waste and Energy Consumption - MNTAP
- Toxics Reduction and Energy Conservation in Steel Products Manufacturing
- Water Conservation and Reduction in Chromium in Wastewater - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Water Reduction in Steel Tubing Manufacturing - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
Janitorial Services
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - Maryland Green Registry
- Toxics Reduction and Waste Management - Maryland Green Registry
Laboratories/Schools
- Energy Conservation - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Green Energy in County Schools
- Laboratory Waste Reduction and Diversion - Maryland Green Registry
- School District Sustainability Audit - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Solvent Reduction in Chromatography - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance & Technology
- Steam System Audit - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Waste Reduction and Diversion in Campus Dining - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Landscaping
- Green Infrastructure, Toxics Reduction, and other Environmental Measures - Maryland Green Registry
- Optimization of City Irrigation - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Various Environmental Measures - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste, Water, and Energy Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Reduction and Recovery from Washing Mowers - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
Local Government
- Energy Conservation in County Buildings
- Energy Conservation in Town Buildings
- Energy Efficiency Through Building Re-tuning
- Minimization and Diversion of Residential Waste - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Management in Correctional Facilities - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Water Conservation and Energy Efficiency at the State Capitol Complex
Machining
- Energy Conservation Through Forklift Charger Replacement Program
- Energy Conservation in Machine Manufacturing - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Toxics Reduction through Alternative Metal Surface Cleaning Methods - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Umicore Electrical Materials Eliminates Use of Perchloroethylene in Vacuum Degreaser - TURI
- Waste Reduction and Diversion - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Reduction in Machining and Plating Operations
Metal Finishing
- Alternatives to Trichloroethylene Vapor Degreasing - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Reduced Acid Use in Electroplating - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- River Street Metal Finishing Filters Acid to Reduce Chemical Use - TURI
- Waste Reduction in Industrial Manufacturing
- Wastewater and Hazardous Waste Reduction in Specialty Platings and Anodizing Manufacturing
- Water and Wastewater Reduction - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Water Conservation and Waste Reduction in Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturing - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Metal Products
- Energy Conservation in Truck Accessories Manufacturing
- Reducing Waste Streams in Hydraulic Parts Manufacturing
- Toxics Reduction in Brass Instrument Manufacturing - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance & Technology
- Toxics Use Reduction in Brass Instrument Manufacturing
- VOC Emission Reduction via Solvent Recovery
- Waste Reduction in Blast-Resistant Modular Builidng Manufacturer
Painting and Coating
- Alternative Metal Surface Cleaning Opportunities
- Industrial Cleaning Alternatives at a Coating Manufacturer
- Solvent Reduction and Transfer Efficiency Improvement - Minnesota Technical Assistance Provider
- Toxics and Waste Reduction and Energy Conservation in Coatings Manufacturing - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance & Technology
- Toxics Reduction in Paint Manufacturing - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance & Technology
- Water and Wastewater Conservation at a Local Powder Coating Manufacturer
Petroleum Refining
- Leak Detection Using an IR Camera - Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Energy Conservation in Fuel Blending and Distribution - Tennessee Green Star Partnership
- Waste Reduction and Water and Energy Conservation in Petroleum Refining - Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Pharmaceuticals
- Energy Reduction Practices in Pharmaceutical Company
- Reducing Solid and Hazardous Waste Streams in Animal Healthcare Manufacturing
- Solvent Reduction and Recycling - Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance & Technology
- Waste Reduction and Diversion in Pharmaceutical System Plant and Molding Center
- Water and Energy Conservation in Water Purification and Temperature Control - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Water and Energy Conservation - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Plastics and Rubber
- Energy Conservation and Hazardous Waste Reduction - Southwest Ohio P2 Intern Program
- Energy Conservation - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Energy Conservation - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Hazardous Waste Reduction in Resin Manufacturer
- Solid Waste Reduction in Epoxy Resin and Carbon Fiber Composite Cylinder Manufacturing
- Water Reduction in Tire Manufacturing - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Water, Energy, and Waste Reduction - Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Printing and Photoprocessing
- Run Waste in Flexographic Printing - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Source Reduction Strategies in the Printing Process - DEQ Utah
- Toxics Reduction and Waste Management - Maryland Green Registry
- Trade Bindery - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste, Water, and Energy Management - Maryland Green Registry
Pulp and Paper
- Electricity Reduction in Speciality Paper Manufacturing - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Energy and Waste Reduction in Adhesive Production
- Energy Efficiency and Reducing Waste at a Pulp and Paper Mill
- Energy Efficiency through Energy Treasure Hunts
- Hazardous Waste and Solvent Reduction in Label Manufacturer
- Removing Tannins and Suspended Solids from Wastewater - New York Pollution Prevention Institute
- Water Conservation in Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturing - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
Recycling*
- Energy Conservation and Waste Recovery - Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
- Food Waste Reduction Strategies Through Recycling - DEQ Utah
- Waste Reduction and Energy Conservation in Recycling Office Supplies - Maryland Green Registry
Recreation
- Environmentally Friendly Purchasing and Waste, Water, and Energy Management in a Yoga Studio - Maryland Green registry
- Irrigation Audit and Analysis of Golf Course
- Pesticide Elimination in City Parks - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- Waste Reduction in Kansas State Parks
- Waste, Water, and Energy Management in a Campground & RV Park - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste, Water, Energy and Wastewater Management at a Recreational Vehicle Resort - Maryland Green Registry
- Water Management in Country Club
Retail
- Energy Conservation in a Wine Shop - Maryland Green Registry
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste and Energy Management in Grocery Stores - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Management and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing in Home Decor- Maryland Green Registry
Solvents/Cleaning - also see other industry sectors for sector-specific resources on solvent cleaning
- Alternatives for Solvent Parts Cleaning within Manufacturing Operations
- Family Martial Arct Center Kicks Out Harmful Disinfecting Chemicals While Defending Against COVID-19 - TURI
- Fat Moon Mushrooms Replaces Bleach With Safer Sanitizer - TURI
- Evaluating Carbon Performance in Manufacturing of Household Cleaning Supplies - New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Water Conservation at Specialty Chemical Manufacturer
Stone/Clay/Glass/Concrete
- Reduction of VOC Emissions and Hazardous Waste Generation in Composite Manufacturing
- Toxics Reduction in Optics through Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma - Toxics Use Reduction Institute (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Textiles/Textile Services
- Reduced Fabric Waste - Kansas State University Pollution Prevention Institute
- Waste Reduction Through Improved HVAC System
- Water Conservation, Chemical Standardization, and Energy Efficiency in Fabric Production
Transportation
- Energy and Waste Management in Railroads - Maryland Green Registry
- Energy and Waste Reduction in Ship Repair - Virginia DEQ
- Waste Management in Commercial Moving - Maryland Green Registry
- Waste Reduction for a Moving Company - Maryland Green Registry
Used Oil
Utilities
- Alternative Energy in Municipal Wastewater Treatment - Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Better Biosolids and Recovered Energy for Sewer Authority
- Chemical Reduction in Wastewater Treatment - Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
- Source Reduction Opportunities for Industrial Chloride Use
- Optimizing Nutrient Removal in Wastewater
- Water Conservation in Residential Community
- Water Waste Prevention