eutecma cool bricks are getting “greener“
Oil is out, sugar cane waste is in
Starting in January 2021 eutecma’s cool bricks are getting ”greener“ – more environmentally friendly that is – piece by piece. Starting then, the PA/PE composite film that encloses the cool bricks will be made of 50% “green polyethylene“. In contrast to conventional plastics made from oil or natural gas, this “green“ plastic is derived from renewable sources.
This is positive news for all companies that put a premium value on sustainability in their supply chains and want to communicate this fact in a dialog with their stakeholders.
Sugar cane waste material replaces oil
But that alone is not the only benefit bio-plastics have to offer. Since growing sugar cane binds the natural carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it also helps cut down on greenhouse gases. Plus: The basic ingredient does not use pure sugar cane, which is a valuable food source, but only waste that is left over from production. And so it becomes obvious: “Green polyethylene“ does not displace food, but uses waste material in a smart way, which otherwise would have been disposed of as worthless. By the way, at the end of the product cycle this bio-based plastic can also be recycled.
No re-qualification necessary!
Since the beginning of 2020, we at eutecma have been looking closely at bio-based plastics and subjected them to a rigorous analysis. And now we know: “Green polyethylene“ can be used in the production of our cool bricks in the same way as the commonly used polyethylene. Stability, robustness, tensile strength and stress resistance are not compromised in any way. This new renewable resource does not change the high quality of our cool bricks – but it does improve our environmental footprint – and your company’s as well. And there is no need for re-qualification!
As of January 2021, we will start successively manufacturing eutecma cool bricks with PA/PE composite film consisting of least 50% of sugar cane waste material. But how can customers tell if their eutecma product is “greener“ already? Very simple: All cool bricks of the new generation will bear the quality seal “I’m green“, developed by Braskem, the Brazilian manufacturer of the sugar cane based polyethylene. An additional QR code leads to detailed information. “We are very happy that we will be able to increase the proportion of our bio-based composite film from 0 to 50 %,” says Sven Rölle, Key Account Manager at eutecma. And so, the first leg in a long journey into the world of sustainable business practices, which do not compromise quality, has been finished.
