This thesis was commissioned by a company that produces a wide range of technical polyurethane and rubber products. The goal was to improve their environmental performance by reducing emissions, energy consumption and wastes. The secondary goal was to find new sustainable ways to treat elastomer wastes.

The first task was to investigate the current level of waste management. The waste types and quantities were inspected, also the current method for recycling was evaluated. The next step was to investigate the energy consumption. Different fuel types and their effect on emissions were examined. Methods to reduce usage of fossil fuels were collected and repayment times were calculated. Lastly the project focused on finding alternative ways to handle polyurethane and rubber wastes. The current and future technologies were studied.

In the very beginning it was obvious that company had already invested in improving their environmental performance. For instance, they have recently certified their environmental management system according to the ISO-14001:2015 standard. However, continual improvements can always be achieved. Reducing the use of fossil fuels would reduce emissions greatly. A fuel oil -driven steam boiler could be replaced with an electric boiler. Air to water heat pumps could be installed to support the natural gas heating system. Polyurethane elastomer wastes can be used as a filler in new polyurethane products. Rubber wastes can be delivered to a company that has specialized in rubber waste management. This way rubber wastes will be processed to new products instead of incineration.