#Sustainability

2019-09-06

100,000 garbage bags made from recycled plastic for the RhineCleanUp Day on September 14

For the second time in a row, volunteers in six countries will join together to collect garbage and waste along the River Rhine on September 14. To support this project, 100,000 sponsored garbage bags made from 100 percent recycled plastic waste will be sent now to key locations throughout Germany. From there, the bags will be distributed to the teams participating in the cleanup.

The project organizers sent out a call to clean up the shores of the Rhine to prevent the garbage from being swept down the river to the North Sea. Last year, about 10,000 people joined the cleanup campaign and collected 100 metric tons of garbage. This time, the team wants to go one better – they aim to break the 200-ton mark! Things look very promising. Since May, the initiative has already mobilized helpers in 100 districts on both sides of the Rhine. “This time we expect 20,000 helpers to join in the Rhine cleanup and do their bit to remove waste from the Rhine shores,” predicts Ingo Lentz from the RhineCleanUp Team.

100.000 bags from 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste

A project of this size depends heavily on sponsors and local garbage disposal companies, either to equip the helpers or transport the garbage to waste disposal centers. “So, it was great news for us when Reifenhäuser signaled they wanted to back our project,” says Lentz. The idea originated in 2018 during the Reifenhäuser Marine Litter project when Lentz first contacted Reifenhäuser employees with the request whether Reifenhäuser could donate sustainable garbage bags. The project soon took off thanks to Reifenhäuser’s extensive network and the right partners. Following the company’s initiative, the EREMA Group, Verpa Folie Weidhausen, and FVH Lobbe pledged their support. The result? 100,000 garbage bags made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste.

As a general rule, the use of virgin material is unavoidable in this type of application. Nonetheless, the four companies made good their pledges: FVH processed the recycling granulate from post consumer package waste on an EREMA line. Verpa extruded and printed the film on a Reifenhäuser Blown Film line and produced the bags. The action and good collaboration between the four companies made the RhineCleanUp even more sustainable than it already was as the helpers will collect waste in garbage bags which previously served their purpose for packaging.

“The hands-on mentality which the RhineCleanUp stirred up on behalf of the environment and the numbers of those mobilized is remarkable,” comments Ulrich Reifenhäuser, CSO of the Reifenhäuser Group. He adds: “We also tackle the issue of waste with responsibility. Recyclability is always a requirement when we develop new technologies. In the future, lines and machines that produce film and nonwoven will be capable of processing recycled plastic so that waste plastic is returned to the recycling economy - and does not end up in nature.”

Reifenhäuser wins German Design Award for new user interface

At K 2025 in Düsseldorf, the Reifenhäuser Group unveiled its new company-wide machine user interface, which offers a uniform design language for blown film, flat film, and nonwoven lines – and stands out for its particularly simple operation. The overall concept impressed not only customers, but also the jury of the German Design Awards, who honored the system with the prestigious design prize during the trade fair.

Reifenhäuser NEXT: Tackling the skills shortage and achieving operational excellence with industrial AI

At K 2025, the Reifenhäuser Group will demonstrate Industrial AI's full potential for productivity in plastics processing. At the heart of the dedicated “Reifenhäuser NEXT” brand is a powerful AI chatbot that enables even inexperienced line operators to quickly solve complex tasks in their daily work, thereby maximizing availability, productivity, and quality.

Reifenhäuser strengthens field service operations in the Middle East and Africa

Reifenhäuser Group, a global leader in plastics extrusion technology, announces a significant expansion of its field service operations across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Building on a longstanding presence in the region, which includes a sales office established in United Arab Emirates five years ago, Reifenhäuser is now taking a major step forward to enhance its local customer support and service capabilities.

A new standard to combat plastic waste in forests

With DIN SPEC 35808 “Tree Shelter for Forestry Applications,” the testing and research service provider Hohenstein, in collaboration with Rottenburg University of Forestry, as well as forestry authorities and industry partners, has established a clear framework for bio-based and fully biodegradable tree shelters. The pre-standard defines requirements and practical testing methods designed to reduce plastic waste in forests and strengthen the long-term protection of soil and the environment.

Europe’s textile future at a turning point: New 2030 Circularity Blueprint aims to scale recycling and unlock investment opportunities

The EU textile system is at a critical crossroads. Today, less than 1% of discarded garments are recycled into new garments, despite EU-wide obligations for separate collection. In response, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is launching the 2030 Circularity Blueprint, in partnership with ReHubs. This ambitious initiative is designed to support the transformation of the EU textile ecosystem to advance textile-to-textile recycling and drive the transition to a circular economy.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.