Sustainability? Closing the loop!

KRAIBURG TPE - Focus on sustainability #1 | SUSTAINABILITY? ONLY WORKS HOLISTICALLY! >>>

KRAIBURG TPE - Focus on sustainability #3 | SUSTAINABILITY? NATURALLY SUSTAINABLE! >>>

Do you feel the same way? You drive past a landfill site and feel guilty. Because our comfortable civilization is piling up so much waste, which actually still contains a lot of residual value that just needs to be recovered somehow. For example, to reduce the consumption of primary raw materials.

A lot of potential

That's exactly what - recycling - is developing into a good business today with great strides. For material manufacturers and processors as well as for our environment and a future worth living. The potential is huge, but the challenge of turning the linear plastics economy into a circular one does not begin with the material recycling of end-of-life applications (post-consumer recycling, PCR). After all, this requires a fundamentally recyclable product design (design for recycling), which in turn makes preferential use of recyclable materials. Another focus is on partnerships and cooperative behavior along the entire supply chain. But plastic waste does not just occur at the end of an application's life. To really close the loop, production residues must also be recycled. In the processing of our materials as well as in their manufacture.

Right from the start

In the field of thermoplastic elastomers, too, demand is growing for products that contain recycled material right from the start. This is because these not only promote a responsible image among users, but also help them to reduce their carbon footprint. The latest example of this is the RC/UV series. They contain up to 40% recycled content from industrial production sources - also known as Post-Industrial Recycling or PIR for short - and are specifically designed for demanding exterior applications in vehicle construction. There, they also enable weight savings of up to 20% compared to conventional TPEs. This is what we mean by holistic sustainability. Circularity with added value.

In the next episode, you will learn how we implement sustainability in the production of our TPEs. Stay tuned!