Plastics are essential to progress: There is no shortage of breakthrough innovations to back up this statement. However the same cannot yet be said in the public perception, that plastics are essential to sustainability. But there are as many examples of this as there are materials themselves. As a distributor, Biesterfeld forms the link between plastics producers and the processing industry. In close collaboration with its partners, the company analyses and advises its customers on more sustainable solutions in the plastics industry.
When people talk about sustainability in connection with plastics, they think almost exclusively of recycling. This is of course partly justified: recycling is a key component in the ongoing transformation towards a more sustainable industry, which is striving to build a circular economy.
However, sustainability involves more than just recycling. The concept includes a wide range of approaches encompassing the entire value chain, starting with the production of materials. In many cases plastics producers and processors are already using renewable energy such as solar, wind or hydro.
Another aspect that is often discussed in the public sphere is the feedstock used for production. The list of substances used to make renewable carbon, biomass and recycled materials is growing constantly. As already mentioned, the ability to return the maximum number of materials to the production cycle is another important aspect.
Distributors are sparring partners – especially when it comes to sustainability
Distributors such as Biesterfeld are aware of the variety of different solutions to achieve greater sustainability. Given their position as an interface between producers, decision-makers and the processing industry, they are involved in the entire value chain. They have diverse materials in their portfolio for a wide range of applications, making them the ideal partner for increasingly efficient and sustainable product development.
Developing new applications is complex and associated with many requirements. When it comes to sustainability, new challenges come into play, including EU directives, plastic taxes, environmental certificates, environmental product declarations, the amount of organic or recycled content, recyclability and biodegradability, life cycle analysis and other considerations. Biesterfeld helps its customers to tackle the factors and process steps that are relevant to them and their application.
Which factors can be influenced?
The company strives to use its application expertise to recommend to its customers solutions that are sustainable with respect to the choice of raw materials, product design, processing and suitability for the circular economy. Given the range of options available, implementing them is often easier than may at first be assumed.
In the area of climate and energy, for example, every application within a life cycle can be associated with a defined quantity of carbon equivalents. This value reflects the energy consumed per kilogram of material in the value chain. This impact can be minimised not only through the construction of more efficient plants but also using renewable energy.
Another factor that needs to be evaluated is circularity, which describes the physical mass contained within a circular economy. Depending on the requirements of the application, it may be desirable to use recycled or bio materials. It is also essential to ensure that the application can be returned to the cycle as a useful material in line with the design for recycling principle.
Taking the sustainable transformation forward together
Through assessments and analyses like the one above, Biesterfeld as a distributor makes its technical expertise available to its customers, supporting them on the path to sustainable product development. As part of its services, the company provides support for the development of new applications and the optimisation of existing ones through its Technical Service Vision. As part of this process the distributor works with customers to evaluate costs and benefits and provides independent recommendations.