Recycling
Since 2019, igus has been using its chainge recycling programme to give old energy chains a new life. Now, the motion plastics specialist is taking things a step further. Recycling begins at assembly. To avoid industrial waste, igus is organising return delivery of worn-out energy chains – and returning them to the material cycle.
Renewable, sustainable and waste-reducing: these are the aims underpinning Cat-HTR (Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor) technology. It can be used to recycle plastic waste within 20 minutes. The oil obtained can be used again to make new polymer products. In order to support the circular economy of plastics, igus has now invested €4.7 million in a company that plans to start up the first commercial Cat-HTR plant.
What happens when a plastic energy chain reaches its maximum service life? Usually, it is simply disposed of and incinerated with other plastic waste. With its “igus green chainge recycling program”, the motion plastics specialist igus is now doing something completely new: users can send their plastic chains to igus for recycling – completely irrespective of the manufacturer. They can eliminate disposal costs and also receive a voucher for making purchases from igus. Customers and the environment both profit from this.