Background     

Sustainability is an integral part of business’ success in today’s environment. This is a revolutionary evolution as the concept started as a niche concern amongst a few parties. This extraordinary shift was driven by a heightened awareness of climate change, resource depletion, and social equity, which in turn was heightened by significant milestones such as the 1987 Brundtland Report which paved the way by broadening the definition of sustainability to include economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Although modern businesses are incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their operations, obstacles such as waste and inefficient processes are making the journey less smooth.    

Purpose 

The thesis aims to explore the efficiency of the current state-of-the-art snus production process and the issue of waste generation. The thesis further aims to provide a systematic approach to identify waste within the production process and provide recommendations on reducing and mitigating waste.    

Method 

The thesis utilises an embedded single-case approach and uses qualitative methods in the form of unstructured interviews and quantitative methods in the form of direct observations of the production process as the main data gathering methodologies. The thesis also utilises Value Stream Mapping to identify waste and trace it to its source. Statistical analysis, including regression analysis, was performed to assess the impact of various elements of the production process on waste generation.    

Conclusion 

The results show that there is a significant inefficiency in the snus production process and identifies key areas and elements that create the most waste. The most significant elements prove to be the production of white snus together with the machine that used to produce it. The thesis suggests that by integrating automation, redesigning the process layout, and introducing key technological components, the production process’ efficiency can drastically be boosted waste generation reduced.