Alliance Announces Sustainable Wire, Cable Practices

The Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance has released a new collection of voluntary sustainability standards in the areas of wire and cable.

One of the standards, the Cut to Length Program, is designed to ensure that utilities measure how much is needed before placing an order so that they then purchase only the required cable. This reduces extra cable at the end of a reel that would typically become scrap.

In addition to reducing waste, this provides benefits such as savings as a result of less cable used per job, low burden rate reduction in costs due to jobsite delivery rather than through inventory, improved total surplus material value, reduced freight costs resulting from less reel touches, less double handling in the distribution centers, reduced scrap and freight cost through jobsite delivery, increased reel turns, and less inventory handling and safety precautions.

The wire and cable ordered by utilities is typically delivered on a wood reel. A second voluntary sustainability standard — the Steel Reel Program — reduces waste by switching from a disposable wood reel to a reusable steel reel.

This program increases the average monthly reel credit, increases reel reuse through utility owned steel reels, and reduces wood reel scrap and handling.

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