WACKER SILICONES takes the sustainable route with transport tanks made from recycled material

Burghausen, Feb 08, 2024

Sustainably manufactured containers, comprising 30% recycled materials, have been in use at WACKER SILICONES’ Burghausen site since the beginning of the year. By switching to transport tanks made from recycled plastic, the division will save over 250 tons of CO₂ per year. Such intermediate bulk containers (IBC) are also used by WACKER POLYMERS.

Focus on the circular economy – (from left) Roland Resch (Operations Manager Fluids & Emulsions), Dr. Tom Koini (President WACKER SILICONES), Erich Schaffer (Head of Sustainability WACKER SILICONES) and Dr. Niklas Wienkenhöver (Sustainability Manager).

“By switching to sustainable packaging materials, we are combining positive aspects for our customers and for WACKER SILICONES. Because recycled materials help us conserve resources,” explains Dr. Tom Koini, President of WACKER SILICONES. “This conversion will save us around 250 tons of CO₂ per year. In this way, we are taking further steps toward the Group’s climate neutrality.”

WACKER SILICONES is also helping customers to achieve their own CO₂ reduction targets. The circular strategy with IBCs includes a worldwide return program.

With this conversion, WACKER SILICONES has prepared itself for future EU packaging requirements. The high quality of the transported products is ensured.

“Compared to conventional IBCs, the sustainable tanks offer the same stability and purity,” says Dr. Tobias Fischer from Technology Management, who has examined the product quality for a material group of polysiloxanes.

Instead of using new plastic, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is obtained from old, cleaned IBCs. Thanks to the three-layer structure of the tanks, neither the environment nor the material to be transported come into contact with the recycled layer.
This is because the recycled plastic is used in the middle layer of the tank; the inner and outer layers are made of new material.

“The ability to recycle and reuse plastics is a logical and consistent way to drive forward the transformation to a circular economy,” emphasizes Erich Schaffer, who initiated the project as Head of Sustainability at WACKER SILICONES.
“This allows us to conserve resources, lower the volume of waste and reduce our carbon footprint.“

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Wacker Chemie AG
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Petra Hettich

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