ZERO WASTE. NEXT LIFE!

Heiko, as a production manager, why did you start to look at how to make carpet recyclable and how to recycle it

Quite simply because the textile industry was still surprisingly sluggish on the issues three years ago, even though it is clear hat the EU specifies that production must be climate-neutral by 2050. Furthermore, the construction industry is one of the most resource-intensive sectors of the economy. And: 52% of the waste generated in Germany is construction and demolition waste from the building sector. Quite simply, it's time to act, and act now. All the products we develop today will only be effective in the future. Solutions are needed for the waste that is currently being generated. With the second-life product of the decoupling panels for the construction industry, we can now do something concrete. And that is
to recycle 100% of our own production waste and off cuts immediately and directly, in a resource-saving manner.

We naturally start with product development and manufacturing – and have been doing so since the company was founded. All of our products are durable and feature a long life cycle, making them highly sustainable. The already large proportion of recycled materials we use not only protects our environment, the products made from them are also free of harmful emissions. On the subject of waste avoidance in production, can only say: Anything that is not used will save resources and costs. But even our production is not completely free of production leftovers, i.e. waste. Machines need to be adjusted, and test runs are required, for example. At the end of a year we have approx. 400 tons of production leftovers, which can now be used in the form of decoupling plates as a useful building product, a so-called second-life product – in terms of zero waste.

What is your vision for OBJECT CARPET for the next few years in terms of carpet manufacturing?

Clearly, the vision is to build a 100% circular economy in carpeting over the next few years, right here at the Krefeld site. We are noticing very strong currents from different directions throughout the industry to seriously address this issue. We  ourselves approach our suppliers (yarn manufacturers etc.) proactively. The key question is: How can they work with us to develop new materials so that we can bring new technologies and processes into use? We want to create and implement  solutions – designed for recycling. We want to be pioneers and role models. This is, and always has been our basic entrepreneurial attitude. We want to make a positive change.