The Hansgrohe Group is using an individually developed recycling process for galvanized plastics at its production site in Offenburg/Elgersweier. The facility, which was developed in cooperation with the plant manufacturer ImpulsTec GmbH, allows the production waste from chrome-plated components to be processed in such a way that the decoated ABS plastic can be used again directly on site to produce new parts. “With this technical world first, we are closing the material cycle at the site,” says Frank Semling, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Operating Officer of Hansgrohe SE. “Every resource that no longer needs to be extracted, but can be recycled, protects our ecosystems. With this innovative process, we are taking a further step on our path to green transformation.”
On June 14, Frank Semling and Stefan Eisert, Managing Director of ImpulsTec GmbH, ceremoniously opened the new plastic recycling machine in the presence of media representatives, project participants and employees of the plastic injection molding department. In his welcoming speech, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board emphasized the excellent cooperation between the ImpulsTec and Hansgrohe project teams: “Successful individual solutions can only be created through excellent teamwork. ImpulsTec’s openness to the joint development of the process and the professional exchange between those involved made possible what was previously extremely difficult to implement technically and economically: the recycling of chrome-plated plastics. On behalf of my colleagues on the Management Board, I would like to thank everyone involved in the project for their outstanding achievements.”
Machinery with Exemplary Character
The innovative system uses electro-hydraulic shredding technology. All chrome-plated ABS scrap components, such as hand-held shower housings, wall rosettes or knobs and buttons, are decoated using shock wave treatment in conjunction with pre-shredding and magnetic separation. David Zapf, Surface Technology specialist and head of the project at Hansgrohe, explains: “The result is a highly concentrated metal fraction containing mainly copper and nickel. This is then sold for smelting. This means that 100 percent of the valuable metals are returned to the raw material cycle. On the other hand, we receive the decoated ABS plastic, which we use to manufacture new parts. Here, we use the material directly on site in our plastic injection molding department and, thus, close the material cycle onsite.” The recycling machine was designed for an annual input of 100 tons of chrome-plated plastic. In purely mathematical terms, this amount of recycled ABS can be used to produce one million new hand-held showers. The machine shall be in operation for eight hours a day on around 250 working days a year.
Challenges Mastered
The products from the Schiltach-based manufacturer of premium and designer products for bathrooms and kitchens are manufactured to the highest quality standards. The particularly stable bond between plastic and metal characterizes durable products. “This is precisely why recycling became a challenge,” explains David Zapf. “Thanks to the new system with its innovative shock wave treatment, we are now able to reuse around 98% of the raw materials.” It is true that the chrome-plated components that were produced as rejects during the production process were previously also processed by external partners. However, the focus here was on thermal recycling to recover the metal.
Focus on Sustainability
Hansgrohe becoming part of the circular economy is one of the company’s key areas of action as part of its sustainability strategy. “It is an urgent concern for us to focus our production on sustainability. By using or recycling products and materials for a long time, we reduce both our use of resources and transportation routes. Our new processing machinery therefore offers not only ecological, but also economic, benefits for Hansgrohe,” says Frank Semling. The hansgrohe Planet Edition product line launched in 2023 already uses recycled material: the handle of the Pulsify Planet Edition hand-held shower is made from recycled plastic. This alternative to petroleum-based primary plastics significantly reduces the consumption of resources and energy.
