Our sustainable way
Sustainability is not a separate goal for us, but integrated into our business operations and processes. We reduce our own impact by reducing our energy consumption, electrifying the fleet (passenger vehicles and forklifts), switching our machines from hydraulic to electrical and striving for Zero Waste. Our sustainability team also advises on various sustainable initiatives, because we have not yet reached the final destination in sustainability. Achieving intermediate goals will inspire us to keep raising the bar. At the same time, we also help our customers to become more sustainable by using plastic or create awareness at our customers for the sustainable use of plastics.
Plastic; invention or curse of the century?
Plastic. Once the symbol of modernization and progress, but more and more often the epitome of environmental pollution. The suggestion is made that if we continue like this, our oceans may contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Stop using that plastic you would think, right?
If only it were that simple. In a world without plastic, the fuel consumption of your car will skyrocket, we would have to throw away a heavily increased quantity of food and the medical world will come to a standstill. We see the sustainable use of (recycled) plastic as the basis for making our planet more sustainable.
As a plastic designer and product developer, we want to continue to develop, discover and apply. Implementing new technologies and raw materials to contribute to a better living environment for our planet, animals and all its inhabitants.
Sustainable (renewable) plastic
The possibilities of plastic are fantastic, but the use and the process must become more sustainable. The use of recycled plastic is therefore becoming increasingly important. Also, at Alligator Plastics, we already take this into account when designing your products.
“We are doubling the use of recyclate; from 1,000 tons to 2,000 tons in 2022.”
Depending on the application of the product it is important to investigate the stream of the recyclate. For high end products you require a ‘clean waste stream’ of plastic; with one fixed composition of plastics that is collected in a consistent manner to maintain the desired specification.
This is because the properties of the recyclate must fit seamlessly with the requirements of the end product. The recyclate is therefore often a post-industrial flow in which the waste from an industrial process is the raw material for a new product. With lower end products your ‘waste stream’ conditions are way more flexible.
At Alligator Plastics we can re-use a large part of our own waste stream due to in-house regrinding of waste materials. This could be done in-line with the production process or separately afterwards. This is how we work towards zero waste and contribute to sustainability.
Sustainable cooperation
Real sustainability is achieved in the entire chain. The advantages of plastic compared to other (raw)materials are often only clear when the impact of the entire chain is considered. Together with our clients and partners, we are working towards a sustainable future.