To protect our products from dust during transport by truck, we wrap them in plastic bags. This is very practical, as PE covers are light, stable, and take up hardly any space when empty. We look after our bags, take them back after each delivery and reuse them as often as possible. At the end of their life cycle, bags normally end up in landfill or at the waste incineration plant. In view of Viasits ambitious climate targets this needed to change!

Plastic manufactured with 80% PCR content reduces the CO2 footprint by 60%

Our purchasing and environmental management departments got to work and found a supplier who offers bags with a PCR content of over 80%. This means that the bags consist of at least 80% post-consumer recycled plastic, i.e., plastic waste collected and disposed of by consumers. This recycled content is much higher than usual, resulting  and has been certified with Blue Angel, the official environmental label of the German government.

What exactly are the benefits of PCR bags?

The advantages of the new material are easy to calculate: If the production of 1,000 bags used to generate 216.50 kg of CO2, we can reduce this figure significantly by 60% to 86.57 kg by using the new material. 

The bags help to reduce the consumption of new plastic, which is made from petroleum, and thus reduce the environmental impact. In addition, by using PCR plastic, we are helping to reduce waste and conserve natural resources.

We gladly accept the visual disadvantages

PCR plastic is that is not as transparent as the previous material. However, we gladly accept this disadvantage in view of its many advantages for our environment. In this way, we are once again another step closer to our goal of becoming CO2-neutral by 2027.

Next goal: a closed material cycle

We are currently working on returning our  used bags for recycling after use, also as "post-industrial recycled" plastic. We have already created a prerequisite for this: We have been separating 100% of our waste for years.

You can read more about this in our environmental and sustainability statements at https://www.viasit.com/en/company/sustainability