Efficiency as Strategy, Not Just Cost Cutting

At Impact Day 2025, Environmental Investment Centre CEO Andrus Treier moderated the panel “How to Make Production More Efficient and Increase Added Value in The Process?”, featuring Ivar Ruubel (Tallinna Vesi), Toms Auškāps (Balticovo), and Kristaps Greidāns (Adven). The discussion explored how smarter processes, innovation, and sustainability go hand in hand — proving that efficiency and environmental responsibility are key drivers of long-term business success. In this article, we highlight the main insights and most inspiring ideas from the discussion.

Treier framed process efficiency as a strategic principle rather than a cost-cutting exercise. Efficiency, he noted, is about creating lasting value, improving quality, and eliminating waste — a foundation for competitiveness and innovation across sectors from utilities to food production. 

Asking the Right Questions 

Efficiency happens on two levels: through daily process improvements and broader system-wide innovation.  

True innovation begins by asking why — as illustrated by Adven’s approach of rethinking energy processes. Instead of doubling steam production for a client, the company introduced mechanical vapor recompression technology, cutting energy use by 35%. This example demonstrated that sometimes, the need for more resources transforms into an opportunity for savings and smarter operation. 

The panelists agreed that collaboration is key: progress accelerates when companies learn from competitors, suppliers, and partners instead of working in isolation. Efficiency gains rarely come from one breakthrough technology but from many small, interconnected advancements.  

Tallinna Vesi’s use of automation, smart metering, and data analytics exemplifies how digital tools can convert large data flows into actionable insights — for example detecting leaks early, minimizing water loss, and cutting energy waste. 

Sustainability as the Core of Efficiency 

Ivar Ruubel highlighted a simple but powerful equation: Efficiency = Less Waste = Lower Environmental Impact = Long-term Profitability. In this sense, efficiency and sustainability are inseparable — the more efficient a process, the smaller its environmental footprint. 

Balticovo’s operations provide a vivid example of circular production in action. Not a single egg goes to waste: lower-grade eggs are reprocessed into liquid, powdered, or boiled products, while chicken manure is turned into biogas and biomethane, which feed back into the regional gas grid. Beyond energy and material reuse, animal welfare also contributes to efficiency: improved climate control in hen houses reduces feed use by six percent while maintaining productivity. These examples show how operational excellence and environmental impact reduction reinforce one another. 

Sustainable Investments Are Profitable 

The panel closed on a pragmatic note: to be sustainable, an investment must be profitable. As Kristaps Greidāns noted, sustainability that isn’t economically viable cannot endure. Yet, the speakers agreed that profitable sustainability is not only achievable but essential — as sustainable investments often deliver long-term benefits in the form of energy savings, resilience, and competitive advantage. 

While ESG frameworks may evolve, the panelists emphasized that environmental responsibility is non-negotiable. Sustainability is not a trend but a condition for business survival — a commitment that defines both economic success and the future of the planet.