Source Reduction Activities
The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 requires facilities to report to TRI source reduction activities that they initiated or completed during the reporting year. Source reduction information can help facilities learn from each other’s best practices and potentially lead to better environmental stewardship and implementation of more P2 actions. When reporting source reduction activities to TRI, facilities choose from 24 types of activities grouped into the five categories shown in the graph below. For more information, see the TRI Source Reduction Reporting Fact Sheet.
Note: 1) Percentages do not sum to 100% due to rounding. 2) Facilities report their source reduction activities by selecting from a list of 24 codes that describe their activities. These codes fall into one of five categories listed in the graph legend and are defined in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions.
- In 2021, 1,630 facilities (8% of all facilities that reported to TRI) implemented a combined 3,490 new source reduction activities.
- The most reported source reduction category was Process and Equipment Modifications.
- For example, an aircraft parts manufacturer optimized their pipe cleaning process which led to decreased ethylene waste. [Click to view facility details in the TRI P2 Search Tool]
- Facilities also report the method they used to identify the source reduction activity. The most reported methods for identifying source reduction opportunities were Participative Team Management and Internal Pollution Prevention Audits.
Additional Resources
- See the TRI P2 Data Overview Factsheet for more information on source reduction reporting in recent years.
- Facilities may have implemented source reduction activities in earlier years that are ongoing or have been completed. To see details about these activities, use the TRI P2 Search Tool.
- Facilities interested in exploring source reduction opportunities can reach out to their EPA Regional P2 Coordinator to arrange a free, confidential P2 assessment with a third-party P2 expert. Visit the P2 Resources for Business webpage for more information.
- EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grants provide technical assistance to businesses to help them implement P2.
- Use the P2 Technical Assistance Resources tool to find resources in your area.
- The TRI Source Reduction Reporting Guide provides examples of source reduction activities and opportunities at facilities.
- The TRI Green Chemistry and Green Engineering webpage has more information about green chemistry and examples of green chemistry activities that facilities have reported to TRI.
- EPA partners with the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute® to present Green Chemistry Challenge Awards to organizations that have advanced green chemistry.
- The Solvent Substitutions Reported to TRI webpage provides information about specific substitutions reported to TRI from hazardous solvent chemicals to less hazardous solvents or solvent-free processes.
This page was published in March 2023 and uses the 2021 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2022.