Taking responsibility
At Manucor we believe and support the concept that as a manufacturer we should create and maintain the conditions under which the communities and nature can co-exist in productive harmony. Both sustainability and financial goals can be achieved simultaneously. It does not have to be a choice of one or the other.
Sustainability reduces overall costs, improves productivity, minimizes waste and strengthens relationships with our customers involved in the responsible vision of the development of our business model. That is why we have always encouraged and realized creative innovations that reduce the environmental footprint of packaging and represent significant reductions in the consumption of raw materials and energy. We could summarize our approach to what we call the 3 R’s (Reduce, Recycle & Reuse).
Energy Saving
Since 1999 we have been investing in energy saving technologies such as cogeneration, capturing and using wasted heat for the generation of electricity.
While traditional power generation converts fuel into electricity and disperses heat in to the atmosphere, cogeneration utilizes part of the released heat into production by reducing fuel consumption needed for heating. Trigeneration is the evolution of cogeneration (Combined Heat and Power), as it further reutilizes the unused heat released into the atmosphere by converting it into cooling and therefore avoiding the need to consume electricity to generate chilled water required in production processes.
Reduce
In collaboration with converters, we have developed and implemented vertical packaging, eliminating the use of wood and reducing logistics costs. Reels are no longer lying on wooden pallets with strapping and stretch film but are packed vertically, secured at the ends with thin disks and wrapped with protective films. A profound evolution that required teamwork and ad hoc investments.
With vertical we reduce the packaging weight of the film reels from about 40 kg to 1 kg. Elimination of pallets and wooden flanges results in less weight and overall dimensions allowing a better optimization of the truck: the number of trucks is on average reduced by 25%, thus less fuel is needed for transport and therefore less harmful emissions into the atmosphere, less packaging material and less waste remains. We also have developed films with reduced thicknesses without compromising the preservation of food. Thinner films are equivalent to a reduction of the raw material used, higher yield, less energy usage for transport therefore emissions. But we took it a step further by developing films that significantly extend shelf life and prevent decay, thus reducing food waste.
Recycle & Reuse
Through integrated processes and continuous investments in equipment and research we have minimized the use of raw materials and fossil fuels, maximized regeneration of resin and its reuse and minimized wood packaging. We have implemented an effective and determined recovery and recycling of wooden packaging materials. (pallets and flanges). Eurostat has recently calculated that in Europe the waste of wood is 15% (glass 20%, paper 40% ). At Manucor, the wood packaging materials are collected from our customers and repaired, allowing a re-use of up to 90% of recovered materials. A continuous recovery cycle of all plastics, investments in resin regeneration installations, internal reuse of the regenerated resin at the highest levels in the field (up to 20% -30% of the raw material) and sales for external reuse of film and resin scraps have allowed to almost clear plastic materials for disposal.
The Future
Our customers and stakeholders will notice a consistent theme in our strategic choices around the elimination and reduction of each form of waste in our plant and operations.
To deliver these commitments, we maintain a permanent focus on our manufacturing operations with the utmost concern about virgin plant material yield and energy efficiency. Equally, we pursue continuous efforts to optimize the sustainability of our products, through the use of alternative raw materials, new technology and reduction of thickness, whilst maintaining or improving the functional properties of our products.
Environmental Reports
We are committed to keeping our environment safe, but don’t just take our word for it. Every year an independent organisation reviews our installations and issues an independent report on how we are doing.
Environmental Report