Strapping bands secure goods during transport. However, they cannot be reused afterwards. Teufelberger is tackling this problem with its „better.collect“ business unit and is working with partners to recycle used plastic strapping into raw material for the production of new strapping.
„We have to act sustainably and set a good example,“ says Florian Teufelberger, CEO of Teufelberger. As a manufacturer of high-quality plastic products, the Wels-based family business is aware of its responsibility and its consumption of resources.
„Our products are safety-relevant for the transport of goods or for securing people in the leisure and work sector. Plastic is therefore indispensable in the modern world. However, it is important to us that we rethink how we use and dispose of it.“
Jürgen Scheiblehner, Managing Director of Teufelberger Strapping
The 7th generation family-run company took its first step towards a sustainable future more than 25 years ago by using recycled materials. Since In 1997, PET flakes obtained from PET beverage bottles were used for the production of high-quality strapping. processed. The „OK recycled“ certification from TÜV Austria has confirmed a 100 per cent recycled content since 2024.
„But that's not enough for us! We want to make an important contribution and find a solution for reusing our products as raw materials. At the end of the day, it's about transforming an entire industry and making it fit for the future. Instead of promoting a throwaway society and constantly generating new products from new raw materials, we are focussing on collecting and recycling our existing products.“
Jürgen Scheiblehner
Every year, more than 1 million tonnes of plastic strapping waste are produced worldwide. To date, most of this waste has been incinerated or shipped thousands of kilometres around the globe. „With our new business segment ‘better.collect“, we are finally giving the strapping a second life," says the Managing Director of Teufelberger Strapping. The collected material thus serves as a valuable Raw material for the production of new strapping. Smooth implementation requires a solid network: together with strong partners from the waste disposal and recycling industry, such as PreZero in Germany can produce thousands of tonnes of Used strapping from industry and commerce is collected and returned to the cycle become.
Plastic strapping is important for sealing, bundling, securing, compressing and holding goods together for transport. Strapping is therefore the most resource-saving packaging option - maximum security with the lowest possible use of materials. Repeated use of the straps is not possible in terms of safety, as tension is lost through use and the holding force can therefore no longer be guaranteed. Solution: The Keeping material in circulation.
And this is where „better.collect“ comes into play. The used strapping is collected, processed and reprocessed into new strapping as recycled material. The advantages for the entire value chain are obvious: recycling instead of destruction reduces the production of new plastics. This leads to CO2-reduction and thus protects the environment. For every tonne of PET strapping collected, 1,759 kg of CO2-equivalents, which is roughly equivalent to a 7,000 kilometre flight from Vienna to New York, for example. The reason for the savings: the tape does not end up in thermal utilisation, but is recycled again through collection and processing.
Source: Teufelberger
