Sustainability in focus

Sustainability in focus

Plastics are one of the most successful materials in mankind. They are robust, light, nearly indestructible and easy to manufacture in high volumes. Because of their outstanding properties, they have become a genuine part of modern life and of our civilization.

Plastics are a substantial ingredient of most products we are using daily, from clothing to smartphones, from furniture to cars, and from sports gear to packed foodstuff. Today, plastics can be found in any corner of the planet.

We from SML consider it our task, to handle our given resources carefully. As a leading manufacturer of machines for the plastics industry, we are offering ready-to-go solutions that effectively help to minimize plastic waste and to lower the carbon footprint in the production of plastics for all kind of applications.

Climate change is an urgent and highly emotional topic; and more often than not the discussions about climate damaging emissions and plastic waste are irrationally mixed.

Most plastics still are made of fossil resources, but unless plastics are burned, their carbon footprint is similar or lower than those of other industrially manufactured materials like glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium or steel.

SML is a premium manufacturer of machines for the plastics industry and has been a technology leader in the development of resource-efficient and energy-saving systems for decades. It is SML’s declared objective to provide machinery that reduces the carbon footprint in the production of plastics to a minimum while laying the foundations to manufacture premium plastics that are easy and cost-effective to recycle.

How the right packing of a steak helps our climate

Coming directly after to carbon dioxide, methane is one of the main causes for man-made climate change. Agriculture, and especially animal farming, has the largest share of unnatural methane emissions. Reducing the production of meat can have a direct effect on the output of climate-damaging greenhouse gases. Environmentally compatible packaging significantly helps to minimize the number of livestock and with it the emission of methane.

Next to the change of our eating habits towards no or less meat, the right packaging of meat is the key in minimizing methane emissions from animals. With growing middle classes in highly populated countries like China, the global demand for animal-based products is rising – and with it the livestock around the world. Huge areas, i.e. in the Amazon, are transformed from greenhouse-gas absorbing rainforest into farmland for raising cattle and into plantations for soya and other animal feed, mainly for export. Instead of absorbing greenhouse-gasses, the newly cultivated farmland contributes to the problem.

Meanwhile, there still are 800 million people around the globe which are undernourished. In sharp contrast to that, 20 percent of all meat produced in the world is simply wasted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The right packaging is making meat-products more durable and considerably helps to reduce the waste of meat. The more meat is packed to very specific customer requirements, the less meat is wasted. This automatically lowers the demand for meat which in turn lowers the number methane emitting livestock – as well as the demand for new agricultural land for growing animal feed like soya.

SML is developing extrusion technology for eco-friendly packaging materials which helps to save natural resources. Not only with regard to agriculture, but also in view of energy consumption and the general use of raw materials.

Components for batteries: Machinery from SML boost electromobility

Efficient batteries are crucial for the replacement of climate-damaging fossil fuels in public and private transport. A key component of almost all accumulators in electric vehicles is the separator film. SML has developed specialized cast film lines for the environmental friendly dry-process of separator films with outstanding properties – helping to make batteries safer and more efficient.

Powerful and long-lasting Li-ion batteries are a key driver of technical innovation towards more climate-friendly vehicles. Beside electric cars, accumulators are used in every-day products like smartphones, tablets, notebooks or tools like rechargeable power tools. One of the most important part of a Li-ion battery is the separator. It is a film-like membrane separating the anode and the cathode inside the battery to prevent short circuits and to allow the free transmission of lithium ions. To make it simple: no separator, no accumulator.

Solvent-free and energy efficient

Due to the sophisticated dry-process, the manufacturing of separator membranes takes place without environmentally harmful solvents. Like all systems from SML, its separator cast film lines work extremely energy efficient.

Less paper cores - less carbon footprint

A simple way to make stretch film production more sustainable is the reduction of cardboard used for paper cores. Over the past years, SML has developed different methods to decrease the tension of the film required during the winding process. SML technologies like K-AP, ThinCore Technology or the Coreless Technology allow manufacturers to use lighter paper cores or generally cores with less weight. Using these new types of cores leads to a significant reduction in the carbon footprint.

Saving one million paper cores per annum
To illustrate this: a SmartCast XL stretch film line is able to produce 16,000 tons of stretch film a year. A typical machine roll has 16kg of stretch film and a paper core of 1.2kg. This results in approx. 1 million pieces of paper cores weighing 1.2kg each - in one year. If a stretch film manufacturer takes advantage of the SML ThinCore Technology, it can use cores with only 0.7kg. This alone allows a reduction of the carbon footprint by half a million kg CO2 eq per annum. In case the manufacturer uses SML’s Coreless Technology, no cores at all are required. This minimises the carbon footprint by 1.2 million kg CO2 eq.

“Today, we already have several proven technologies and methods at our disposal to make stretch film production more sustainable: from downgauging to post consumer and post-industrial recycling (PCR and PIR), to the use of bio-based LLDPEs and the reduction of auxiliary materials like paper cores. It is up to all of us to combine them in the most effective way,” Thomas Rauscher concludes.

A few highly industrialized states already have implemented effective waste management systems that bring down the pollution of rivers and seas close to cero. Conventional plastic waste can be especially a problem in fast growing economies that haven’t established sufficient waste treatment facilities so far.

As for most people a life without products made of plastics is unthinkable, new solutions have to be found for the treatment of plastic waste at a global level. Beside the reduction and optimization of packaging materials, the creation of working circular economies is a key factor; not only for meeting the challenge of plastic waste but also to safe valuable raw materials.

As a leading manufacturer of machinery for the plastics industry, SML is actively developing solutions in the fields of sustainable packaging materials, waste reduction and recycling.

Keep it simple – Mono Material Packaging for easy recycling

In most industrialized countries there are already existing established circular economies. Materials like paper, cardboard and glass are recycled successfully for decades. The key question is, why plastics are that different. The rather simple answer: there are tailor made plastic products, which usually cannot be reprocessed together.

It is challenging to recycle composite materials made of different types of plastics and metals, e.g. pouches for potato chips of polypropylene combined with aluminium. But also some “eco-friendly” labelled packaging materials consisting of laminated paper or laminated cardboard are very difficult to recycle due to their composite structure – in fact, they are all but environment-friendly.

Designed for the circular economy

The best way to serve existing recycling facilities is to design packaging materials consisting of only one mass plastic, e.g. polyethylene (PE). SML has developed a new mono-material solution with its new systems for the production of MOPE-film. The new MOPE structure – mainly used for packaging fruits, nuts, etc. - has similar advantages as composite structures, above all in terms of food safety, stiffness and printing capabilities. Plus the advantage, that MOPE film can be easily integrated in circular economies processing polyethylene, one of the most common types of plastics.

New types of stretch wrap film make supply chains more eco-friendly

Stretch wrap film for pelletized packaging is indispensable for global logistics, especially when it comes to secure cargo during transport. Beside safety aspects, these wafer-thin and very light films help to save valuable space in containers, trucks and ships. Today, stretch wrap film made on machines from SML can be 100 percent recycled.

Beside the packaging of the merchandise itself, the packaging materials used during distribution and transport are increasingly in the focus of public concern. Especially big retail companies and brand manufacturers now are eager to re-structure all supply-chain processes environmentally sound. A working circular economy comprises the production, logistics and distribution as well as post-consumer treatment of products and their packaging.

As a leading machine manufacturer for the production of stretch wrap film lines, SML is constantly working on solutions to make this type of film more eco-friendly. Today, there are stretch wrap films with a thickness of less than one-hundredth of a millimetre, reducing raw material consumption in the production of that films as well as plastic waste after usage significantly.

Beside that, the new stretch film lines from SML can process up to 100 percent used plastics from LLDPE or LLPE which means that plastic waste from this type can be limited to zero.

SMLs stretch film by using PIR materials

SmartCast Infinity: Unchallenged recycling capacities in stretch film production

SML made a series of tests for producing cast stretch film containing an unmatched high percentage of post-industrial recycled materials on its SmartCast Infinity pilot line. The properties of this film are close to those made of virgin resin.

During the last months, SML developed and improved the usage of post-industrial recyclate to an optimum at its SmartCast Infinity stretch cast film line, located SML’s Technology Center.

"We have succeeded in producing film with an ultimate elongation value of 400% by using up to 80% post-industrial recycled materials. The film’s quality is totally in line with market requirements, the optical properties are excellent," says Thomas Rauscher, Product Manager for cast stretch film.

Recycling of post-consumer stretch film
Stretch film, which was already used and collected after usage for re-pelletizing, has also been successfully processed in high quantities on SML’s SmartCast Infinity line. With high-quality recycled material of post-consumer stretch film, SML reaches re-feeding rates of up to 60%. However, in a sustainable circular economy, where cast stretch films are frequently recycled, a general recommendation is a ratio of 30% post consumer recycled material in combination with 70% virgin material.

Well-equipped and functional health facilities are essential for social well-being. As our whole society, our healthcare systems strongly depend on products containing plastics. It is such simple things like protective clothing, surgical coverings or infusion bags that are fundamentally important for any hospital operation.

We from SML are aware, that the supply reliability of healthcare products is a major concern of society, as well as of politics.

Especially when it comes to medical products - product quality and environmental compatibility are often conflicting. Together with our partners we are designing machines for hygiene applications that both fulfil the highest medical standards and can be recycled easily.

Face Shields from PET – a supplement or an alternative to masks

Respiratory masks made of plastics and cellulose-based fibres are an indispensable item in operating rooms and other healthcare facilities. Meanwhile, they are also used in many countries for disease control in public areas. For everyday use, face shields manufactured from PET can be a comfortable and environment-friendly alternative.

Many people feel uncomfortable wearing masks the whole day, which are closely covering mouth and nose. Breathing is more difficult with respiratory masks, facial expressions are limited, and forehead and eyes are still unprotected – especially against the own hands.

Medics and healthcare personnel in many cases depend on certified masks that are actively protecting them from bacteria and viruses, and sometimes they are using both masks and face shields to get a maximum of protection. Meanwhile, face shields alone can be a rather comfortable alternative to protective masks in application areas which require only moderate safety standards.

Especially when it comes to disease control in public spaces or on workplaces like construction sites, where the staff is obliged to wear protective items the whole day, many may prefer face shields to masks.

Face shield can be easily produced of polyethylene (PET). One big advantage of PET is, that there are already existing effective recycling systems in many countries. The face-shields can be easily recycled together with usual PET-bottles, while respiratory masks consisting of composite materials can only be thrown away.

extrusion lamination for protective clohing

How the use of plastics in healthcare institutions saves lives day by day

Preventing the spread of germs in healthcare facilities can be a question of live or death, especially for people with a weak immune system, i.e. after surgery. Effective protective clothing disallows bacteria and viruses to be transmitted among patients and medics. To meet the highest safety standards, most of it consist of sophisticated composites of plastics.

People in healthcare and nursing facilities are facing a higher-than-normal risk of being infected by bacteria and viruses, whether they are medics or patients. Therefore, the use of protective wear in all healthcare facilities is necessary, especially in sensitive areas like operating rooms or when it comes to the treatment of patients with highly infective diseases.

Safety regulations vs. wearability

Due to its extraordinary properties, plastics or composites of materials are a key component of any protective clothing, whether it is an over-all, gloves or a respiratory mask. On one hand, protective wear must offer an effective barrier against bacteria and viruses and fulfil demanding safety regulations. On the other hand, it should provide at least a certain degree of wearability allowing medical personnel to do a highly demanding job without interference. From all existing materials, today only plastics can give you the perfect solution.

Light and elastic membranes

SML is a leading company in the development of systems for the manufacturing of composite with extraordinary properties. Laminates and membranes produced on machinery from SML can provide an effective barrier against viruses and bacteria. At the same time, these materials are extremely light, tear-resistant and elastic, which make them ideal for protective apparel, i.e. overalls.