Today, sustainability is at the top of everyone’s agenda in the food and cosmetics industries. Many of the biggest names have publicly announced their aim to have a balanced, net-zero carbon footprint in the next five to ten years. To reach this target, they are carefully examining all of their activities and looking for ways to minimise their environmental impact.
Outside pressure
Consumer pressure on companies and brands is mounting. Fanned by social media, activist environmental organisations and vocal celebrities, consumers are demanding more sustainable products, and companies are listening. In order to remain credible with consumers, many of the biggest players are joining ambitious global initiatives such as the New Plastics Economy, which counts Coke, Danone, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and Walmart among its core partners. And product packaging is often more important than its origins or its manufacturing processes because the packaging is what the consumer sees first. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to investors, too. More and more investment decisions are already being made based on the investment’s ESG (environmental, social and governance) merits.
Closing the materials cycle
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that aims to minimise waste by reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products. Companies are increasingly weighing the costs of simply disposing of valuable raw materials. Right from the beginning, in the product development stage, the selection of materials increasingly focuses on recyclability. The goal is that the raw materials used can remain “in the cycle” and can either be used again or sold on for reuse in other forms.
Preserving value instead of destroying it
Recycling certainly applies to steel. The moulds from Otto Hofstetter AG are rightly praised for their quality, durability and reliability. These properties reflect not just our skill as precision toolmakers but also the quality of the materials we use in our moulds. The fact is, these Swiss-made moulds produce packaging – whether for PET, packaging or medicinal products – that deliver the highest quality, with a life cycle far longer than that of the products they contain. Unfortunately, later on in their service life, these high-end moulds all too often end up in a warehouse and are increasingly forgotten. At some point, they are sold to a scrap metal dealer who buys these still usable moulds at the current spot price for scrap. In fact, they are far more valuable.
High quality, second-hand
With Second Life, Otto Hofstetter AG aims to support the industry’s efforts to reduce its CO2 footprint. It recognises the value of the mould and the raw materials used to make it. Due to the design, which is more than 90% standardised for PET moulds and around 80% for PAC moulds of the S-Line, existing components can readily be reused in whole or in part. With PAC moulds, which have been designed uncompromisingly to the original customer’s specs, only small adjustments are possible, or some of the components can be reused if the requirements are similar.
The Second Life platform is free to use for buyers and sellers. Second Life simply mediates between them. If a mould has been taken out of production, its owner can place it on the platform. If it finds a buyer, it is completely overhauled and, as necessary, modified at our headquarters in Switzerland. The new owner receives a 12-month guarantee, which underscores how confident Otto Hofstetter AG is about the quality of the repurposed mould.
Shifting the ecological balance
As is typical for products from Swiss companies, durability has always been a priority for moulds from Otto Hofstetter AG. Their energy-use and cooling water performance have always been exemplary, and their exceptional durability is well known. Thus, in sum, the products from the Uznach factory generally have a very favourable eco-balance. Second Life reinforces this effort, supporting producers in their efforts to keep their environmental footprint as small as possible. Otto Hofstetter AG takes its responsibilities to its customers, to the industry and to the environment seriously. We will continue to support the shift towards net-zero emissions with further innovations.
