Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022 - 18

Q&A
continued from page 17
cer. As with the existing enviro
system, this is being done
through a close consultative
liaison with the TÜV SOUTH
technical inspectorate as an
objective appraiser. The listing
is based not only on the
relevant statutory requirements,
but also on clients'
stipulations and eco-design
guidelines from associations
and institutes.
All these also impact our
strategy and organisation. Krones
has taken all these aspects
fully on board and, over recent
years, has adjusted all its operations
accordingly. The overriding
goal driving innovation
in all our new developments
and design enhancements is
the requirement of sustainability.
This is accorded top priority,
not only among consumers, but
also among our customers. Krones
has systematically integrated
sustainability into its entire
portfolio - including the fields
of process technology, filling
and packaging technology and
intralogistics - in order to offer
customers highly resource and
media-efficient solutions. This
development work is supported
by digitalisation, which likewise
makes its contribution towards
boosting performance in our
customers' production plants
while also increasing profitability
and flexibility levels.
But the sustainable thinking
goes beyond that. In 2020, the
Krones Executive Board adopted
a new climate strategy.
It includes a comprehensive
package of measures aimed at
reducing greenhouse gas emissions
across the Group. Krones
is taking this step because its
previous climate protection
target had been met. This had
been to cut energy-related CO2
emissions by 30 to 40 percent
per million euros in sales. With
this target having already been
achieved by the end of 2017
and maintained since then, the
company has formulated goals
for its own sustainability performance
that are much more
ambitious - in two respects: The
first is the regional expansion of
the scope. Whereas the targets
had previously focused first
and foremost on the emissions
of the German Krones AG, the
new climate strategy is to apply
18
plants for plastic recycling,
from material sorting to the
pelletised plastic or even further
down the road to the preform
or extruded sheet. And
it is precisely this turn-key
approach that certainly will
make a difference for the new
players currently entering the
recycling business.
MetaPure Wastewater
treatment module
for all production facilities of the
whole Group. Secondly, the figures
to be achieved have been
tightened significantly.
Krones is accordingly working
towards the following absolute
reduction targets by 2030:
* 80 percent lower greenhouse
gas emissions from
scope 1 and scope 2;
* 25 percent lower greenhouse
gas emissions from
scope 3.
Scope 1 and scope 2 include
all emissions that we cause
at our sites, such as through
the operation of vehicles and
production systems or the use
of purchased energy. Scope 3
comprises all further emissions
arising from the upstream and
downstream value chain. In the
latter case, the focus is particularly
on those emissions which
are generated using Krones
products. By continuing to develop
its energy-efficient technologies,
the Group is seeking
not only to help its customers
reach their own climate targets,
but especially to make
the food and beverage industry
more sustainable. The lower reduction
target compared with
scope 1 and scope 2 stems from
the success that Krones has
achieved to date in this regard:
the enviro programme has been
systematically driving the energy
efficiency of Krones products
for many years already -
which is why there is much less
potential for savings from future
activities.
To obtain objective evidence
for itself and its stakeholders,
Krones had its climate strategy
reviewed by the independent
Science Based Targets Initiative
(SBTi). The result confirms that
the Group has taken the right
path from a scientific point of
view as well. According to the
SBTi, Krones' climate targets
will help to limit global warmSeptember/October
2022
ing caused by the greenhouse
effect to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
They have thus been rated as
both ambitious and effective -
and officially declared Science
Based Targets.
What's the strategy to develop
this new business?
As we already explained, a
continuous development process
is required to cope with
the requirements of the plastic
recycling industry. But it is
more than that. With fossil resources
being available without
constraints and at a (too) low
price, plastics recycling was a
kind of a niche market. As our
awareness of the threat of global
warming and plastic pollution
rises, a new framework of
governmental regulations and
commitment of global brand
owners is attracting and almost
forcing a whole new league
of players into the business.
As these include players such
as globally acting distribution
groups, plastic producers, and
waste companies, we all know
that this will entirely change the
recycling business.
What do your recycling lines
consist of in terms of equipment?
Our
technical approach originated
in the washing process
of returnable (glass) bottles.
So, when it comes to production,
the wash line for plastic
is the core of our activities.
However, the offering of Krones
in recycling is way beyond
this. We typically start
with the concept study for
the complete recycling plant,
including the complete infrastructure
needed for such a
project, the same approach
we use for our projects in the
beverage industry. And for
the equipment, we are able
and willing to deliver turn-key
Whom do you see as your
main competitors in the recycling
business, and do you
feel confident about going up
against them? How do you differentiate
yourself?
The plastic recycling business
globally is growing extremely
dynamically, and the targets
set by the EU for 2025 with
the Packaging and Packaging
Waste Directive are highly ambitious.
At the same time, our
industry, like every other, is facing
post-Covid challenges such
as supply chain constraints and
a lack of skilled workforce.
In this situation, competition
is not what we should focus on.
The suppliers of plastic recycling
equipment have a great
responsibility to provide recycling
systems which enable our
customers to deliver what the
market desperately needs - both
in terms of capacity and in technological
aspects. As of today,
closed-loop recycling is available
for only very few types of plastic
packaging materials, of which
PET bottles are a true showcase.
Unfortunately, they only account
for a tiny part of the plastic packaging
material processed every
day. So, let us try to master this
challenge together.
Where do you want this business
to be in 5 years?
We believe that in the market situation
described before, Krones
with its global set up, resources
and technology driven mindset
can deliver a lot of value to the
plastic recycling industry. Our
course is set and the feedback
we receive from partners and
customers is extremely positive.
Thus, we are convinced that the
plastic recycling industry in 5
years will have quite a different
structure and we hope that Krones
will have had a substantial
contribution.
Visit Krones at K 2022, 9-26
October 2022 in Dusseldorf,
Germany: Hall 09 stand C29.
Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022

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