SUSTAINABILITY
There is a lot of talk about sustainability. But talking is no longer enough. It is high time that words were followed by deeds. All too often, companies pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, but nothing happens on a day-to-day basis. Again and again there are situations in which entrepreneurial activity collides with ecological concerns. The need for true, transformative sustainability is more urgent than ever. Not only because the ecological and social problems are getting worse every day.
GREENWASHING
RESPONSIBILITY
MATERIAL SELECTION
RECYCLING
GREEN WASHING
Most of the bioplastics in the composites industry that are currently labeled “BIO” are made from only a certain proportion of bio-based materials. This carries the risk of greenwashing. Materials that are made from biomass, i.e. organic substances, are referred to as bio-based. In the case of bioplastics, the biomass comes from renewable raw materials such as corn, sugar cane, banana peels, nut shells, etc. It is quite possible that products are labeled as “biobased” but only partially consist of biomass. There is no clear definition or regulation here.
Bioplastics made from renewable raw materials are not necessarily more environmentally or climate-friendly than fossil-based plastics. While conventional plastics generally cause more greenhouse gases, the renewable raw materials for bioplastics are mostly grown on agricultural land. As a result, cultivation can compete with food production. Therefore, the biomass should ideally consist of food waste.
RESPONSIBILITY
We see it as our responsibility to do our part to protect the environment and are therefore constantly working on further developing the production of our fiber-reinforced components in an environmentally friendly manner. Currently, the composite industry is not that far into using 100% organic, but we are on the right track and are continuously working to achieve this goal.
Radically honest communication is a matter of course for us. We want to report openly about our efforts and not hide setbacks. Because we are convinced that a sustainable future can only be shaped together with our customers and partners.
MATERIAL SELECTION
New, sustainable solutions on the material and process side must be introduced and implemented. The goal is a circular economy. Waste must be minimized and resources reused for as long as possible. A major challenge for the composites industry. The great advantage of fiber-reinforced plastics is the combination of different materials and their properties. This is exactly where the problem lies with the sustainable choice of materials. We are already trying to design our designs in such a way that we can separate the individual materials from the component and recycle them.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Sustainability through a long service life. In our developments, longevity and repairability have top priority. The components must be dismountable and defective parts must be replaceable. In addition, we use as many standard parts as possible in our developments and do not use special designs to make repairs easier.
RECYCLING
The recycling of fiber-reinforced components is still in the early stages. There are many efforts in this direction. More and more start-ups are being founded that are looking for recycling solutions. We already recycle wherever we can. We collect the dry fiber residues, cut them to size and use them to produce short-fiber-reinforced components. We can shred fibers that are already saturated with a matrix and use them as fillers in new components.