Innovative raw material management developed by Interzero

Sustainable development and closing the loop can be an opportunity for companies. ESG regulations are worth looking at not only in terms of potential costs for the company, but also measurable benefits, including profits and savings of natural resources.

Knowing this, we started cooperation with Fagum-Stomil and thanks to our joint commitment, we managed to develop a way to use the leftovers of the PVB film used in the production of car windows for the production of rubber boots. Due to its composition, the film is very difficult to process, as it sticks together. After long tests, conducted since 2021 by Interzero and Łukpol , it was possible to develop a method for processing PVB scrap and its reuse for the production of shoe granules. In this way, the material previously perceived as a difficult raw material is recycled and reused.

The developed method gives measurable benefits for the environment - it reduces the amount of natural resources needed for production, reduces pollution and exploitation of the environment, and leads to mitigation of the climate crisis.

As an industry leader, we pursue the mission of supporting the circular economy by searching for innovative, integrated environmental solutions focused on the future. We hope that our many years of experience and acquired know-how will allow us to implement even more projects focused on environmental benefits in the near future.

We encourage you to view the photos of the product.

We need to start working on bail

What will be the effects of delays in legislative work on the deposit-refund system? What about the excessive burning of packaging and what will the future of chemical recycling look like? These topics were raised in the latest debate "Packaging in the circular economy: from ideals to practice". for The Republic .

The meeting was attended by Renata Juszkiewicz, Anna Larsson, Robert Chciuk, Konrad Nowakowski, Jacek Wodzisławski, Andrzej Gantner, Łukasz Sosnowski and on behalf of Interzero Pawel Lesiak , Vice-President of the Management Board. The debate was moderated by Aleksandra Ptak-Iglewska.

As part of the meeting, the future of the European packaging market, the effectiveness of recycling in Poland and the topic of reusable packaging were discussed.

The participants, discussing the deposit-refund system, pointed out that, taking into account the PPWR criteria, including dairy product packaging is not entirely a good idea.

"I agree with the proposal not to include dairy product packaging in the system. However, this would be tantamount to failure to meet the collection obligation resulting from the ordinance. There is no good solution here. The EU regulations directly result in the obligation to include dairy product packaging in the system. A compromise solution would be to postpone the entry into force of the deposit obligation for this assortment. This would allow us to gather the first experience of the system's operation in other ranges of materials and prepare for it better." - said Pawel Lesiak.

The obligation to introduce the system to smaller stores also became the subject of disputes. Experts have noticed that small retail chains want to join the system, seeing financial benefits and the possibility of attracting customers.

"As Interzero, we run such a system in small stores in Germany. In our western neighbour, these smaller entities, despite the statutory exemption, willingly join it. It is business justified, because if the customer cannot return the bottles in a given store, they simply he will start shopping elsewhere. In Poland, we should think in a similar way, regardless of the discussion about regulations. I am in talks with retail chains, including small shops, and I hear that they are very interested in the system and want to join it, "said Paweł Lesiak.

Link to the entire debate HERE

How can business benefit from waste?

Anna Grom, President of the Management Board of Interzero, talked about innovative ecological solutions, an unstable legal situation and the implementation of the circular economy concept in the latest podcast for Forbes Women Polska.

Environmental protection should not be an abstract value, but a necessary condition for our continued existence. It is worth constantly analysing what is happening in our country and in the world in terms of sustainable development. A trend that can be noticed in terms of waste management is the fact that the young generation increasingly often stops paying attention to the brand and starts to notice the impact of a given company on the natural environment. Big players are also aware of the cost of raw materials used for production and strive to acquire raw materials for their own.

As an integrator of sustainable environmental solutions, Interzero analyses the needs of customers and together with them looks for solutions that can bring measurable financial and ecological results. We are already taking actions that allow us to close the circulation of raw materials - we advise companies on how to optimise processes, e.g. through sustainable packaging design, and we also implement circular economy concepts in existing and new business models.

We encourage you to listen to the entire podcast HERE

It's time to increase the efficiency of waste management.

Waste and its proper management is currently one of the greatest challenges faced by society. From the entrepreneur's point of view, the greatest need is the stability of the regulatory environment.

In the latest interview for Teraz Środowisko, Monika Grom, Vice-President of the Interzero group in Poland, points out that business must first of all reduce the risk arising from the economic situation. The next step is to increase efficiency and invest in new technologies.

"We work with both waste producing companies and recycling plants. We know the needs and possibilities of both parties. Thanks to this, we often act as an integrator that helps close the circulation of raw materials, which brings measurable environmental, financial and image benefits. In addition, we carry out holistic and spot analyses in various areas of environmental protection. We both examine the compliance of entrepreneurs' activities in terms of applicable regulations and advise what they can do differently to free up funds." - comments Monika Grom.

"Currently, thanks to inter-team cooperation, we achieve a synergy effect, which we will strengthen, among others, by investing in digitisation. We also have achievements in this field. In addition to the aforementioned Interzero Waste Platform, we have created the Interzero Academy e-learning platform, a system for remotely concluding contracts or a virtual customer service office, i.e. My Interzero. It is high time that waste management fully exploited the potential of digitisation and thus increased its efficiency." - adds Monika Grom

You can read the full interview at the link HERE

Read about your (SUP) exercise of extended producer responsibility

In the latest issue of the magazine Energy and Recycling, Przemysław Kuna, Managing Director at Interzero, together with Konrad Nowakowski from PIOIRO, commented on the SUP directive, which has a direct impact on ROP.

The transposition of legal provisions on reducing the impact of certain plastic products on the environment is undoubtedly a major challenge for entrepreneurs. Restrictions on activities, the obligation to label packaging and additional fees are just a few examples of the impact of the draft act.

The introduced list of disposable products that are prohibited from being placed on the market is constantly growing. You can find items such as: cotton buds, straws, cutlery, plates, containers for food and drinks made of expanded polystyrene. Fishing gear has also joined the products covered by extended producer responsibility.

The purpose of the legal changes is to improve the environmental situation of the country and, consequently, to impose many new obligations on entrepreneurs, such as reporting, recording, additional fees and achieving minimum collection levels.

We invite you to read the entire article.