Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2023 - 25

automotive
tomotive industry. It's an industry
that perhaps may claim that
sustainability is important, but
at the end of the day, it's still the
price that's the decision-maker.
For us, it's usually been almost
impossible to off er sustainable
solutions, " he said.
Sustainable building
To illustrate his commitment to
achieving more sustainability
in the business, Gibellini pointed
to the building in which
Reflexallen's headquarters in
Italy are housed. At the time it
was built, in 2005, it included
a number of features that were
then uncommon. The building
is surrounded by nature, he
said, where the air is cleaner,
taking advantage of the natural
light and built to conserve
energy and resources. " The
building was designed there
for creating ideally the best
environment for a human being
to deliver their best performance.
This is what I believe
in, " he said.
It is a belief that led in 2010
to the introduction of the company's
very first products based
on bio-based material made
from castor oil. " Since then,
our customers know that if we
can, we will push them in the
direction of a more sustainable
choice, " he said.
Safety critical,
environmentally safe?
" It is possible to produce safety
critical components that are
better for the environment,
but it requires a truly massive
mindset change from the industry, "
Gibellini said. As the
sustainability trend continued
to gain strength, he recognized
the need to actively pursue the
options open to Reflexallen to
promote that change. " We use
plastic, " he said. " And while we
cannot replace it with a nice
natural product like wood, we
can make better choices. Because
I understood that the
market wanted us to, we have
now also become the first in the
market to introduce a range of
air brake tubing that incorporates
recycled material. "
The products have been
designed with a multi-layer
Reflexallen's headquarters in Italy
Reflexallen
is a tier one
supplier to the
automotive
industry
" We produce safety critical products
for the automotive industry "
that of the conventional products.
" So, the diff erence for our
customers is only a gain, " said
Gibellini. " A greener product
that saves thousands of tonnes
of CO2 that costs the same. "
Currently, the company is
'sandwich' structure, with the
layer in the middle featuring a
high content of recycled material.
According to Gibellini, the
company also has a customer
- a truck manufacturer - that
is currently finalising the testing
of the new products and
is very keen to take these into
their production. Once they do
so, they will save some 1,800
tonnes of CO2 emissions on the
European production alone.
" This represents a huge
change in the thinking about
recycled materials, " he stressed.
" Recycled materials have long
been considered low value, not
something to use in safety critical
applications. This product
is just a first step, but it shows
how we are completely changing
the picture. And it is something
I am very excited about. "
The multi-layer design using
recycled content is an approach
that is also being expanded to
other products, he added. It
can also be applied to products
outside the automotive industry
- 'anywhere where energy is being
transferred', he said.
Marketing this vision of a
more circular future to customers
takes time, and it is something
Reflexallen off ers next to
its conventional solutions. " But
because we are moving in this
direction, it is now also part of
how we assess a customer's
need. Our first question would
be about the kind of energy a
customer needs to transfer; the
second about the environment
in which this must take place.
But now we have a third to add:
how circular do you want your
solution to be? We can now also
off er circular design. "
An important aspect in this
respect is price. The sheer competitiveness
of the market, in
combination with the current
economic headwinds, means
that Reflexallen cannot off er
its eco-designed solutions at a
higher price that the conventional
products. To date, the
company has been able to off er
these at a price that matches
developing coolant lines for
thermal engine and battery
vehicles as well as fuel lines.
The new eco products will be
marketed under a new brand
name, he added.
And looking ahead at the
growing number of electric
vehicles being produced, he
remained confident about his
company's position. " Instead
of just cooling, for electric vehicles,
we talk about thermal
management, " he said.
" For the heating pump, for
the battery and for the charger
inside of the vehicles, and thermal
management mean being
able to control the temperature,
keeping this within in a certain
range, which means you need
the right tubing, the right connectors
and the right terminals.
This is something we have experience
with, and we have this
expertise in our portfolio.
" So, we have a clear path for
tomorrow. And, let me repeat
these words: that's really the
reason why I'm so excited about
the future of our company. "
November/December 2023
25
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2023

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