The 'closed loop' enables continuous use by recycling plastic packaging such as buckets. The switch to plastic hangers is a step towards a circular economy and requires the involvement of the entire industry.
Sustainable packaging and the closed loop: Our responsibility for the environment
The general importance of sustainable packaging in our industry continues to grow - why? Because conventional packaging plastics are, among other things, valuable and limited raw materials. This in turn means that everyone in the supply chain should use them wisely.
One resource-saving solution is to recycle and therefore reuse packaging. This is where the so-called "closed loop" comes into play. A good example of a closed loop is the cooperation between the Jokey Group, manufacturer of plastic packaging, the waste disposal company Zentek Group and PROFITEC.
And this is how it works: After a plastic bucket has done its job, it is collected directly at the construction site or at the painter's, for example, via a Zentek collection container. Zentek processes the collected buckets so that the resulting recycled plastic can be fed back into the Jokey Group's production process in the form of granulate. New buckets or other plastic packaging are produced and can be sold as safe recycled packaging and also recycled again after proper disposal. This closes the loop.
However, the recycling loop only works if everyone in our industry plays their part. Today, valuable plastic is often lost, partly because the individual parts of the packaging, such as metal hangers, are difficult to separate. If these end up in the waste disposal system still attached to the bucket, the metal handle is recycled but the bucket is often incinerated and the plastic is lost forever. Plastic hangers do not need to be separated in the first place, but can go straight into the recycling process.
PROFITEC is therefore gradually converting almost all of its plastic frames to plastic hangers. "We see it as our responsibility to educate every painter. All of us - industry, trade and craftsmen - can play our part in the closed loop," emphasizes Benedikt Merz, Head of Wholesale Sales. He adds: "Many people are not even aware that the disposal fees for their paint buckets have already been paid. They just need to be returned to the cycle via the right disposal company. This is both sustainable and efficient. Anyone can find out how easy it is in detail at service/entsorgung or via our YouTube channel. If we all rethink - and embrace the plastic handle - the closed loop can easily become the future standard."
