PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net Starlinger introduces measures in the field of corporate social responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly important. With Clarissa Graf, the Austrian mechanical engineering company Starlinger has hired a Sustainability Manager to address this essential task; since autumn 2019, she has been actively defining CSR measures for the internal and external implementa- tion of the company strategy. One of these measures is the membership in respACT, Austria’s leading corporate platform for responsible business practices. “My task is to devise and implement a company-wide CSR strategy,” says Starlinger Sustainability Manager Clarissa Graf. “This strategy is being developed internally – for example in workshops – and is constantly extended through the participation in external events designed to promote an exchange of experiences as well as further training in the field of sustainability.” Through her studies in the field of environmental management and ecosystem research, Graf combines her knowledge of natural cycles with business objectives and economic processes. In doing so, she relies on existing resources and a lively exchange with the entire group of employees as well as other companies. This year, Graf has applied for member- ship in respACT, Austria’s leading business platform, which supports companies in practicing business responsibly and thus works towards a sustainable and future- oriented economy. This is accomplished through providing assistance in the area of sustainability, through clear communi- cation of existing guidelines in the course of reporting as well as through networking events such as the annual CSR day. “Sustainable business management has been a focus of our activities for many years,” emphasises Starlinger Managing Partner Angelika Huemer. “In doing so, closed production circles and plastics recy- cling are key priorities. With the appoint- ment of a Sustainability Manager and the membership in respACT, we will be able to address this topic even more intensively.” The activities of respACT follow the principles of the worldwide initiative UN Global Compact as well as the UN Sustain- able Development Goals – SDGs for short. www.respact.at www.unglobalcompact.org www.starlinger.com Erema Group looks back on a successful financial year The financial year 2019/20, which ended on 31 March, marked a special milestone in Erema’s corporate history. For the first time the group of companies generated a consolidated total turnover of more than EUR 200 million and, with its recycling technologies and profes- sional services, underlined its position as a technology leader and driving force in the implementation of a circular economy for plastics. Then along came the Corona pan- demic and the impact it made on every- one’s private lives and the economy. Within a very short period of time, Erema imple- mented numerous measures to protect the health of employees, to continue business operations and to continue to meet the needs of customers as best they could. As Manfred Hackl, CEO Erema Group GmbH says, “We are proud of our achievements in the past financial year and how we have handled the special challenges presented by the corona pandemic so far.” A total turnover of more than EUR 200 million represents an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to the financial year 2018/19. The number of employees also increased again. More than 600 people now work for the group of companies consisting of Erema Group GmbH and its subsidiaries Erema, Pure Loop, Umac, 3S, Keycycle and Plasmac. CEO Hackl names as suc- cess factors the innovative and diverse recycling technologies of the subsidiary companies as well as their comprehensive consulting, service, engineering and plan- ning services. That is how Erema Group was once again able to set new standards in the past financial year. In the in-house and industrial sector, Erema GmbH launched the new Intarema ZeroWastePro system as a compact solu- tion that is precisely tailored to the require- ments of recycling production waste. Pure Loop, a subsidiary in the shredder-extruder technology segment, added the ISEC evo series to its product range, which enables output rates of more than 1,500 kg/h to be achieved for the first time. The range of products for in-house applications is rounded off by the Plasmac range of solu- tions especially for straightforward applica- tions at low throughput rates such as in the blown film sector. Outlook The company states that the past financial year was an intensive and suc- cessful year with many highlights for the Erema Group, followed by the unforesee- able outbreak of a pandemic. “Corona is likely to remain with us for some time, but that will not diminish the significance of our mission: Another Life for Plastic. Because we care,” says Manfred Hackl. On the contrary, the group of companies is looking to the future with confidence over the long term, even though recent develop- ments have led to a very tense situation for plastics recyclers. The unanimous opinion is that sustainability and consequently plas- tics recycling will continue to be important issues for society and industry, possibly even gaining in significance as a result of the lessons learned from this crisis. At the moment, the economic impact of the Corona crisis on the recycling industry requires that decision-makers at national and international level ensure that recycling know-how and the requisite recycling systems acquired over the years are maintained and further developed to meet EU recycling targets. www.erema-group.com Clarissa Graf, Starlinger Sustainability Manager Manfred Hackl, CEO Erema