Can igus® become part of the circular economy?

Many businesses are using historic failures and are creating a better resource from it. This is known as the “circular economy”. In this blog, I look at whether igus® could be seen to be part of this “circular economy. ” If not, can we take steps towards joining?

What is a “circular economy?”

We have collectively become a throwaway society. However, thanks to some large names, such as Sir David Attenborough, large investments have been made to reduce this wasteful economy. This has created a pivot point. Companies have started focusing more towards innovation and regeneration. This what is effectively known as a circular economy.

A circular economy is a system which relies on regeneration as opposed to waste. There is a significant shift in this direction for many companies. Many companies now are heavily investing in green incentives and renewable initiatives. igus® is no different. We have a strong green ethic as a plastics company. Many of our green incentives are striving towards eliminating waste and regeneration. You can read about these here; https://blog.igus.co.uk/why-is-sustainability-important-and-how-is-igus-contributing/

Why is it important for businesses to change to a new model of production and consumption?

The relationship between economic growth and use of natural resources has always struggled to establish a balance. Today, we use almost twice as much of the earth’s resources than it can regenerate. Many people may not realise the catastrophic effect this will have on us all. Research shows that by 2030, it is projected that globally the demand will increase by 35% for food, 40% for water and 50% for energy. If we are not successful in changing the way we produce and consume, it will begin to have severe negative implications. Areas such as air pollution, ocean life, weather, food shortages and energy shortages. In a world where we are demanding more and more, how can we reduce, preserve and still survive?

What steps can igus® take to become a part of this?

circular economy

igus® is already fast becoming part of the circular economy. As mentioned, a previous blog I published highlights the areas that igus® is targeting globally. Areas such as preservation of natural resources, reduction of waste and pollution. As a plastics company, we are aware that we can always do more. Some key areas that we already promote is offering an end-of-life recycling programme for our energy chains into new plastic components. We have also heavily invested in the chemical recycling company Mura Technology. We have invested in helping with tree-planting in our local area. This action of committing to help new woodlands is in part to help igus® counterbalance any negative impact we could be having in our local surroundings.

Through sympathetic research and development of igus® material recycling, we are endeavouring to be less damaging to the environment. This is comparable to single use plastics. The igus® technical materials are designed to be long life and suitable to be used as a metal alternative, therefore lending themselves to regeneration. This is a positive thing. It is not single use plastics; it is polymers that solve arduous applications with no lubrication.

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