The flush and fill valves are one example of using plastic regranulates to improve the sustainability of plastic-based products.
Not all plastic is the same. The quality of Geberit products is defined by their environmental friendliness, durability and conservation of resources. This principle also applies to the use of plastics and Geberit increasingly uses plastic regranulates, or recycled plastics.
At present, this is primarily ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), which has been recovered from electronic scrap such as plastic cases from home appliances and computers. In 2020, Geberit processed 940 tonnes of this material worldwide.
Recycled ABS is made by first collecting the electronic scrap, disassembling it and then sorting the parts by plastic type. The ABS parts that are not treated with flame retardant are then shredded, washed, sorted, ground and regranulated. This requires 80% less energy to produce the material than compared with producing new plastic.
Geberit purchases the recycled material in the same way as new material and then shapes it into the desired form via injection moulding. Only the anthracite grey colour of the plastic reveals its origin, meaning it cannot be used on visible products. As a result, ABS is particularly suited to fill and flush valves or for the mounting frames on some actuator plates, for example.
By taking plastic and transforming it into high-quality products with a guaranteed long service life, we are making sure that the material is being used in the most targeted and economical way possible. Plastic offers many benefits from a sustainability perspective because it is light, robust and durable, among other aspects.
As a further demonstration of Geberit’s commitment to plastic regranulates, we have signed up to Operation Clean Sweep. This is an international initiative promoted by the plastics industry dedicated to preventing the loss of plastic granules, flakes and powder and ensuring that these materials do not pollute the environment. The goal here is to also uncover potential weaknesses in plastics processing and introduce the necessary improvements in future.