Machine and robot grow togetherMeasuring device for the high temperature rangeExtrusion scrap recoveryDesktop test stand for function and...Thin-film specialist Leonhard Kurz presents its 2021 sustainability report.The so-called Communication on Progress (COP) report provides information for the first time on developments in the implementation of the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact.The company joined the German Global Compact Network last year.Board member Walter Kurz explains: “As a family company, it is important to us to leave a better world behind for future generations.Since our foundation more than 120 years ago, we have been thinking and acting in a future-oriented and sustainable manner.Joining the UN Global Compact initiative was therefore the next logical step for us.” With the annual “Communication on Progress”, the UN Global Compact pursues the goals of promoting transparency, documenting the continuous improvement of corporate activities and Good -Disseminate practice examples.In the progress report, which is more than 100 pages long, Kurz presents its sustainability performance to date, but also goes into detail about its goals and planned measures.The claim "Be a green leader" stands above all activities, which not only reflects the claim to itself, but also what it offers to customers.Walter Kurz: "We want to become the most sustainable company in our industry and to help shape product cycles along the entire value chain in the most environmentally friendly way possible in order to give our customers a sustainable lead."The thin-film specialist is on the right track: there are central specifications and environmental directives, for example with regard to the selection of raw materials or handling, which are valid at all locations worldwide.Extensive environmental management systems have been introduced to ensure compliance with these standards and to achieve continuous improvement;there is also an environmental officer.The environmental, energy and occupational safety guidelines apply to all employees.Recycled – and still beautifulIn all areas of the company, Kurz follows the approach of "360° Lifecycle Thinking" and takes the entire product lifecycle into account - starting with the manufacture of the components through to their return to the recycling cycle at the end of their useful life.Efficient use is made of all raw materials used, and as far as technically possible, PET carrier materials with recycled content are used.While around 30 percent of the raw materials used in the decorations are currently of organic origin, the company is working on increasing this value to up to 80 percent.With the "Recosys" take-back and recycling program, the company has only recently set standards in terms of environmental compatibility.This gives customers the opportunity to return the residual materials that are produced to Kurz, which are processed into new raw materials in the company's own recycling center.Another innovation in the name of environmental protection is Recopound, a high-quality recycling granulate made from production residues, which not only offers many possible applications but also a robust character and an excellent ecological footprint: By using the recyclate, up to 40 percent CO2 can be saved compared to Save new material.The declared goal for the future is the reuse of the recycled PET carrier for the production of new transfer carriers.Leonhard Kurz has also already set goals for the coming reporting period: At the Sulzbach-Rosenberg site, an open-space photovoltaic system will soon go into operation to increase the proportion of CO2-neutral energy supply with a savings potential of 6000 tons/a, which will save 20 to 25 percent of the can cover the electricity demand at the site.The topics of e-mobility and hybrid technology are already heavily weighted in the company's own vehicle fleet and the lighting is currently being converted to LED.The company is also pushing ahead with the reduction of specific energy consumption and the associated CO2 emissions.The specialist package "Technology and Recyclability" of the Forum Rezyklat commissioned a comparative study of sorting technologies.This is intended to create a neutral basis for investment decisions.The Arburg Technology Days took place again after a two-year Corona break under the title Think Tank.Over 3,700 visitors from 39 countries came to the company headquarters in Lossburg.Extrusion scrap recoveryEverywhere in the plastics industry, waste and leftovers from production are reused as valuable materials.A manufacturer of drive belts was able to use Getecha's standardized shredders to recycle...On May 30, 2022, Erema took over 19.8 percent of Plasticpreneur.The Austrian start-up, founded two years ago, produces mobile recycling solutions for plastic waste in Klagenfurt that can be operated without prior knowledge.That...Ansmann develops a second generation of the Greenpack replaceable battery system.Borealis polypropylene compounds are used for an optimized product design in terms of eco-efficiency.Alpla, a specialist in packaging solutions and recycling, has been supporting the non-profit organization Nidisi since the end of 2021.Under the name "Revalue", they are currently setting up recycling centers in Nepal.Coperion has started building a recycling technology center at the production site in Niederbiege near Weingarten.The new Coperion Recycling Innovation Center will be built in the vicinity of the existing test center for bulk material handling.Fiberon Decking is a company that manufactures composite decking.Plastic waste made from polypropylene (PP) is used for this, which is combined with wood fibers – also from residue sources.To this end, the company operates...Sabic has partnered with Heinz, Tesco and Berry Global to close the loop on soft plastic food packaging in a recycling trial in the UK.