NISP is an innovative business opportunity programme that delivers bottom line benefits for its members, whilst generating positive outcomes for the environment and society. Put simply, their vision is to change the way business thinks. Operating at the forefront of industrial symbiosis thinking and practice, the programme helps companies take a fresh look at their resources.
The challenge
NISP take materials from companies that cannot make use of them and finds companies that can. Practitioners help to bring these organisations together. A ‘Match’ is the term used for successfully trading resources between two or more companies. The end result is a positive impact on the environment in the form of landfill avoided, reduced carbon emissions, increased recycling and a number of other key benefits. The matching process is a difficult one and requires skilled people with specific industry knowledge. To assist with the process, NISP wanted a system that helped to coordinate, and report upon, the services they provide.
Our actions
Objectivity built a heavily customised system based on Microsoft SharePoint. A hierarchical site with a set of bespoke web parts provides the ability to enter information relating to available resources. The system is process driven and guides the practitioner through the stages of finding resources, locating potential matches, resolving barriers and finally completing a trade. User roles and permissions govern who can access which parts of the system. The application automatically generates case studies for successful matches and hosts them on the publicly accessible area of the system.
The results
The system is utilised in both the UK and America, helping to reduce waste across many industry sectors. It helps practitioners to work more effectively by sharing information and tracking progress. The solution promotes the services via a publicly facing web portal and a set of related case studies.