Scarcity of raw materials
Raw materials are becoming scarce. Coolrec bv considers contributing to solving this problem to be even more important than the company’s contribution to solving the energy problem and reducing CO2 emissions. Intelligent and sensible recovery of raw materials will eventually result in lower energy consumption and, as a knock-on benefit, reduced CO2 emissions.
Van Gansewinkel Groep, and therefore Coolrec, entered into a cooperative agreement with Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, the founder of the C2C concept, and his organisation, the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (
EPEA), in 2008.
Cradle-to-Cradle sets out the course for our approach. This focuses on opportunities and not ‘guilt management’. So our primary motivation is to give sustainability concrete meaning every day. Our waste expertise is valuable for our partners. Close collaboration with them allows us to play a key role in the initial design phase for their products and processes, thereby enabling the development of a sustainable and profitable solution.
We see reducing the consumption of primary raw materials, including fossil fuels, as our main contribution to creating a more sustainable society. And, in association with that goal, we see more intelligent use of raw materials as our contribution to reducing CO
2 emissions.
A practical example: Philips
Philips and Van Gansewinkel Groep collaborate in developing Cradle-to-Cradle products. Both companies have pooled their expertise to create closed recycling loops. Coolrec’s knowledge of materials, waste streams and recycling is essential in this process. Among other initiatives, the partners have looked at ways of designing new products more intelligently and using recycled plastic for their production.