Die REMONDIS-Welt der Nachhaltigkeit
REMONDIS' World of Sustainability
De REMONDIS-wereld van de duurzaamheid
The whole notion of sustainability will be a lost cause unless we take action here and now to conserve our planet's natural resources. Future generations and today's developing countries will only be able to enjoy prosperous lives if steps are taken right now to counteract the growing shortages of raw materials. For us – being one of the world's leading recycling, service and water companies – there can be only one goal: to tackle this problem and lead by example. Why not join us on this path?!
Everyone agrees that global warming must be limited to 2°C – or preferably 1.5°C – if we wish to prevent our ecosystem from being irreparably damaged. Large areas of woodland in Germany are dying as the country suffers ever longer periods of drought. Pussyfooting around is not going to stop climate change. Some major action needs to be taken. And not just switching from fossil fuels to renewables but from virgin to recycled raw materials as well. We are showing how this can be done.
The Lippe Plant in Lünen is not only a high tech site, it is also an important project for combatting global warming. The various activities carried out at the site help to cut carbon emissions by 488,000t every single year. For a forest to have the same effect, it would need to contain 37 million trees. Certainly a lovely place to take a walk in but perhaps not an ideal place for creating 1,400 jobs.
People searching for an argument in favour of plastics recycling need look no further than at our seas and oceans. Vast areas of waste are floating around in them and are so big that they can even be seen from space. This problem, however, can only be solved on Earth – with more responsible consumer behaviour and systematic plastics recycling.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk? Not at REMONDIS. It goes without saying that our all-encompassing view of sustainability also includes us being sustainable ourselves. This covers all aspects of our business – from the energy efficiency levels of our head office buildings, all the way through to ensuring that all our locations adhere to our high social standards, no matter where in the world they may be.
Every company tries to make a profit. And things are no different at REMONDIS either. For us, however, money is always a means to a good end – which is why a large part of the profits we make is invested in developing new and innovative recycling processes and technologies. Helping to preserve our planet’s valuable natural resources.
Sustainability is not a state or a condition but an ongoing process. First and foremost, sustainability is team work. Which is why we cooperate closely with experts and research institutes that also feel strongly about conserving our planet’s natural resources and preventing climate change. Such work always leads to new approaches and innovations.
Wherever we see an opportunity to drive forward the notion of sustainability and to fix it even more firmly in the minds of people, then we are there, full of passion and enthusiasm for the cause. This covers a whole range of activities – from educational projects, to acting as advisers, to supporting universities.
Everyone is talking about the scarcity of raw materials and about sustainability. But what exactly is behind it all? We decided to do some research to find out what it’s all about – so that we could put together some pages with the most important background information for you to read.
Millions of disposable nappies are thrown into residual waste bins across Germany every single day, which means they are sent to incineration plants. This is the normal route. But normal is not always right. And when it comes to disposable nappies, this is anything but sustainable. While thermal treatment does indeed generate energy, all of the materials are lost to us forever. A nappy is a highly complex product containing a variety of plastics. There are two reasons why incinerating plastic is not the best solution. Firstly, a valuable raw material – which really should be recycled – is destroyed forever. Secondly, incinerating plastic is bad for the climate and bad for the environment. A different solution is needed here. We at REMONDIS have found one – or rather built one: a state-of-the-art and, most importantly, a sustainable recycling plant specifically for nappies.
are recovered from one tonne of nappies
*by adding sewage sludge
When it comes to nappy recycling, the magic word is thermal pressure hydrolysis. This is a process that melts down the nappies at a temperature of 250°C and at a pressure of 40 bar rather than incinerate them. As a result, the individual components of the nappies – primarily polymers and cellulose – can be separated from each other and recovered. The whole system generates high quality recycled raw materials – in the form of plastic granules and paper – which can be returned to production cycles and reused. But that’s not all. The leftover material is then enriched with digested sewage sludge in a downstream process. This produces high-purity biogas that can be transformed into green electricity.
Heating the materials up under high pressure guarantees that all bacteria are destroyed
The nappy recycling pilot plant is being operated by the Dutch recycling firm, ARN. The research work was carried out by the University of Brandenburg and the development work by Elsinga Beleidsplanning en Innovatie B.V.
The nappy recycling system is currently being operated on an industrial scale in the Dutch town of Weurt near Nimwegen. We opened a facility here in December 2018, which is currently in the process of being expanded. Once the expansion work has been completed in the middle of 2021, the facility will be able to process 15,000 tonnes of nappies every year. Several years of tests had been performed before the plant was built. The first trial began in 2013 when the deliberate decision was made to set up just a small-scale facility. Since then, we have gradually improved the process so that it is now market ready. Our short-term goal is to expand our nappy recycling capacities so we can further promote sustainable development. Over the medium term, we wish to set up the technology at other European locations so that the logistics also meets our high sustainability standards. At the end of the day, nappies can be found in every single country.
Recycling nappies is far better for our climate than incinerating them. When our plant reaches full capacity and is able to process 15,000 tonnes of nappies a year, it will cut carbon emissions by 14,460 tonnes.
Being able to guarantee materials recycling is just one side of the coin. The other is ensuring that nappies are collected as a segregated waste stream. This is a basic prerequisite for nappy recycling. Segregated collection schemes already exist in a number of European countries. Others – including Germany – have not set up such systems yet. Being a pioneer – in the area of nappy recycling in particular and in the area of sustainability in general – we are doing everything in our power to make sure progress is made here, too. We can, of course, set an example and show the way in the private sector. And this is precisely what we are doing – for example, by offering institutions such as hospitals and care homes waste management concepts that include a separate storage and collection system for absorbent hygiene products.
One thing is clear: the subject of nappy recycling will become more and more important. While there is a growing supply of organic nappies (i.e. nappies made with plastic that is not produced from petroleum) on the market, conventional nappies are likely to remain the product of choice for the majority of parents for the foreseeable future. Over three billion disposable nappies are used in Germany every year. What’s more, nappy manufacturers are always trying to offer their customers newer, improved products. In such cases, ‘improved’ generally means a more complex composition of materials and a more sophisticated mix of plastics. This will not make the challenge faced by recycling businesses any easier. Yet another reason, therefore, for us to keep trying to advance this particular field of recycling.
Being one of the world’s leading recycling, service and water businesses with over 30,000 employees, everything we do revolves around sustainability. We ensure that the environment is protected and that natural resources are conserved in over 30 countries across four continents.
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