Designing ​ out plastic?

Humanity generates over 2.01 billion tons of waste annually.

This figure of 2.01 billion tonnes, according to the World Bank, represents an average of 0.74 kilograms, this does however range widely from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms per person per day. Without immediate action, this figure is projected to rise to 3.40 billion tons by 2050. Short of drastically cutting consumption, recycling is our best lever to tackle this crisis. On our planet, the six most important natural resources are water, air, oil, natural gas, coal and minerals. These resources are the foundation of life on earth and we’re using them up at a rapid pace. A seventh resource has been identified: recyclables. Today they cover around 40% of the world’s raw material needs. And they are estimated to save over 700 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year. There is absolutely no doubt that recycling is one of our best chances to preserve the future of our planet and humanity.

Hager Group in action for a low-carbon world

At Hager Group, plastics are definitely the greatest concern, as it’s the main raw material used in production. As a group, we purchase thousands of tons of plastic raw material every single year and we are very aware of the associated environmental issues. According to recent studies, the production of 1kg of plastic raw material releases between 3.5 to 9.5kg of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Recycled plastic, on the other hand, only accounts for between 0.5 and 1.7kg of CO₂ per 1kg produced. In short, producing recycled plastic emits around six times less CO₂ than producing virgin plastic. For several years a team of experts at Hager Group has been looking for ways to include recycled plastic in production and a project to eliminate all virgin plastic in packaging is well underway. Let’s take a closer look.

Patricia zooms in on recycled material to measure the imperfections. One of the mindset hurdles to overcome is accepting that recycled plastic isn’t pure spotless white.

Patricia Lamouche

When Patricia, mother of two children and determined to leave them a planet fit to live on, chose to dedicate her studies to Material Science she knew it would be an endlessly stimulating field. Right from the outset she understood that wisely used materials are a key lever in preserving the environment. She feels lucky to be teamed up with people who love their job. Their moto is: Material Science is our passion, helping you is our mission! Patricia is convinced that they have a major role to play in helping the company transition to a more sustainable use of materials.

Is plastic fantastic? This is the question we asked Patricia Lamouche who heads the Material Expertise Centre at Hager Group, a team of material experts who support technical teams in material selection for products. Patricia leads initiatives to integrate more sustainable plastics into our products and solutions. “Well yes, I’d have to agree. It’s an extremely versatile and durable material and an integral part of our products and solutions. However, worldwide mismanagement of plastic waste has caused a dramatic impact on the environment. This being said, global awareness is growing, and we at Hager Group want to be ahead of the curve by going beyond awareness to taking action. That is why we are currently exploring many non-fossil alternatives while limiting the use of substances of environmental concern.”

A major undertaking

So just how big a task is it to integrate more sustainable plastics into our products and solutions? Can we realistically design out plastic? Modern businesses cannot afford to ignore the environmental issues resulting from their activities. According to Patricia, we must start by defining essential and non-essential use of plastic. What we’ll find is that we cannot simply design out plastic from electrical products. Plastics do play a vitally important role in their manufacture and design and there can be no compromise on quality. Any change here must be painstakingly researched. For example, plastic above all must protect the user from direct contact with electrical components. It also must be fire resistant and have the right design. There are instances where recycled plastic just won’t do (yet) but there are also instances where we can indeed substitute virgin with recycled material.

The raw material is not, however, easily sourced.Recycling facilities are growing and technologies are evolving to achieve as-virgin plastic quality, but further investments are needed to meet industrial quantities. It works to our advantage that at Hager Group, the plastic needed for different products and solutions don’t all require the same specifications and performances, so we do have flexibility.

As things stand at the moment, in 2018 we started researching the feasibility and since 2019 have been using recycled plastics made entirely of material sourced from old fridges in some internal parts of our distribution boards at La Roca (Spain) and Blieskastel (Germany). It’s a small step that is taking us in the right direction.

The life cycle of recycled plastic: the plastic flakes in Patricia’s hand come from old fridges, they will be transformed into pellets which are in turn transformed during the injection process. Once the plastic part has been produced it can be mechanically and visually tested.

Can we do more?

Surely promoting the use of recycled material is a huge selling point and advantage for sustainably-minded customers? It may be, but this is where it gets complicated. When asked if we could use recycled plastics more widely, Patricia commented “yes but it will take time. I’m not saying that recycled material isn’t good enough. Recycled plastic for electronic goods exists and there are many pioneering initiatives to further develop the entire recycled plastic industry.” However, Patricia mentions a surprisingly trivial reason for the generally low use of recycled plastic in the industry: “One of the main hurdles is the physical aspect of recycled material. Here we need a mindset change. Having pure white recycled plastic material isn’t possible due to the multicoloured nature of the raw material. However, I am confident that this will change and there will be a global mindset shift to accepting products that are just as safe and functional, but not quite pure white.”

Everyday actions count, too

We can all act and contribute to increasing this seventh resource and thus reduce the impact on our planet. Recycling is becoming an integral part of our lives, both at work and at home. As a matter of course throughout the group, all office and production site waste is collected and recycled according to local regulations, substantially reducing waste produced. We have it in our power to adopt the right mindset and adjust our actions. Patricia sums it up: “Our planet is undergoing dramatic changes due to human activity, and the extraction of non-renewable resources to produce plastics is not helping. Accepting dramatic climate change is not an option. I want to try my best in my every day and my professional life to make things change for the sake of my children’s future.”

Substantially reducing waste produced

A second life for surgical masks: the mandatory use of face masks for protection against Covid-19 is producing a lot of extra waste. At Hager Group we took action and found a local partner in France who recycles the masks, which are made of petrochemical products, into injectable polymers. This process means the material can be turned into geometry kits for schoolchildren. In 2021, we collected 110,000 masks. The 440kg of polymers this represented was enough for 1,500 of these kits.

Raising awareness and helping people to make changes

Recycling and reducing our plastic consumption is a topic close to Laetitia Gangloff’s heart. We asked her four questions.

Laetitia, would you feel comfortable by being referred to as an anti-plastic activist?

Laetitia Gangloff: I am not comfortable with the term activist, it implies a political bias and “warrior” connotations. My approach is a peaceful one far from any political considerations. I would say my concerns go much further than that. Reducing our use and consumption is extremely important, and this has to be linked to the bigger picture – the ecological one. The definition of ecology is: “A science concerning the relationships of living beings (animals, plants, micro-organisms) with their environment, as well as with other living beings.” Therefore, ecology isn’t just about “saving” the planet it can also refer to our interactions with other living organisms including humans. In other words, ecology comprises our working environment and our colleagues, as well as the entire planet and all its inhabitants. We need to protect it all not just reduce plastic consumption.

Laetitia Gangloff

Passionate about nature, sport, the great outdoors and being a member of the electronics validation laboratory team in Obernai. An advocate of the ecological transition, she is on a mission to raise awareness about over-consumption, hyper-industrialisation and the depletion of the planet’s resources and the suffocation the wild world.

Why should I make the effort when I see that on a global scale industries are still massively using plastic? Even when just doing my weekly shopping it is a challenge to avoid plastic.

I’m often asked this question. It’s not because everyone is doing something or not that makes it a “good” action. We need to make our own choices based on our own values. The consumer can have power over industries, for example, organic food is more widespread, stop buying industrially produced food sold in single use plastic, we can now buy in bulk or take our own containers to fill. By setting an example and changing our consumption habits, we really have a role to play. Don’t buy fruit and vegetables at supermarkets where there is excessive plastic packaging. Chose to buy elsewhere, yes of course the first few times will be inconvenient, but once you know where to shop it becomes easier. It only takes three weeks to break an old habit or create a new one. Let’s not forget that even the CEOs of the big ultra-polluting groups are men and women like us, who can be made aware of all this.

So how can we raise awareness and help people to make changes?

Raising awareness involves two essential things, first knowledge and understanding. Why is it is important to act? If we define the why, we can then take action. Secondly, it’s about setting a good example and showing that it is possible and that there are benefits. It is especially important not to make ecology a battle between those who do “good” and those who do not. It’s better to have a million imperfect people making efforts within their means than a handful of perfect people. Let’s be kind to each other, let’s be open to discussion and especially to questioning; this is how we can all develop as individuals within and outside of the company.

How do you personally advocate for change?

During lockdown, I created my own company to raise awareness about the ecological transition. I run DIY workshops and awareness-raising events on everyday actions. I also work with an association that runs participative workshops to understand climate change and make sense of governmental reports. I am part of an association called futurs proches which aims to create new narratives for a desirable future. I am also a mentor and trainer for an ecological transition training organisation. And at work I have led participative and information-based conferences about sustainable development, zero waste and CO₂ emissions. I’d just like to say that not all plastic is evil as we are sometimes led to believe and not all the alternatives are necessarily better. What we need to eliminate is single use goods be they plastic or cardboard; just 1 cotton tote bag is the CO₂ equivalent of 1500 plastic bags, now that’s food for thought and change.

Getting to grips with sustainable packaging

Plastic is an icon of modern life, it’s everywhere, its most prevalent form is packaging. Every year, Hager Group uses around 880 tons of plastic for packaging only. A change is definitely needed, so in January 2021 we set up a challenging, group-wide project looking into the various options to only use sustainable recycled packaging material. It involves 30 colleagues from areas such as sourcing, industrialisation, logistics, marketing and controlling among others. The goals are certainly very ambitious and the team is highly motivated; the Non-Recycled Plastic Packaging (NRPP) project has already reduced the amount of virgin plastic in packaging by almost 10% and is targeting 100%.

So how did the NRPP project get off the ground? As before with Matthieu Alexandropoulos and Henri Cuin, a partnership steered with passion and conviction is behind the progress we are making: Gaetane Grange from Hager Group and Helene Isermeyer of eolos.

Helene Isermeyer

Helene is ever so slightly obsessed with circularity and sustainability, she rides a bike whenever she can and is a fan of the circular economy. Helene, a partner at eolos, is committed to supporting companies in their transition towards greater circularity. What she loves about her job and the circular economy is that it’s not just about providing a set of pre-defined answers, it’s all about shaking up the status quo, contributing to a discussion, setting actions and facilitating a shift in mindsets. She is never happier than when her work leads to a positive impact in organisations and contributes to greater environmental sustainability.

Gaetane Grange

Gaetane, Environmental Sustainability Project Manager, drives internal and external projects to make Hager Group more sustainable. She is passionate about raising awareness within the group on reducing the use of virgin plastic for packaging and supporting colleagues and customers on their sustainability journey. She is convinced that the challenges to reduce CO₂ and find alternatives to plastic require a collective effort and one that we all have to align on. Governments, international organisations, companies, and citizens of the world all need a sustainable mindset.

Partnership with passion

The dynamic duo started by selecting a project which was meant to provide a motivating impetus to reducing or rethinking plastics that would not be overly complicated to set up. After discussions with Matthieu, they all concluded that tackling packaging would make for a more dynamic starting point than the taking on plastics in our products. For any such project to have a chance of successfully getting off the ground you need data. So, whilst Helene and the eolos team buckled down on a quality analysis of our data, Gaetane put her considerable energy into setting up a cross-department, cross-site and cross-usage plastic packaging team.

Helene, with her expert eyes, benchmarked and found best practices on rethinking plastic packaging, bringing her industrial vision and extensive experience of manufacturing organisations to the project. The potential hurdle of having both external and internal people working on critical topics was overcome as Gaetane made sure that the eolos team were completely integrated into project governance and responsible for many of the key deliverables. “Making sure that Hager Group colleagues see us as complementary working members of the teams rather than ‘just’ external advisors, was part of the success. We are truly integrated and an active part of the chain to make this project a success,” Helene is keen to point out. Indeed, this statement is backed up by Gaetane, “we could never have reached the results we have without eolos’ help and full integration into the project. Their ability to data crunch and evaluate the status quo gave us excellent foundations for this project. Our mutual trust and respect inspires me and the rest of the team, I am enthusiastically looking forward to the future.”

There are no doubts that Gaetane’s and Helene’s expertise, skills and driving force are a great match and will keep everyone on track and eager for collective NRPP success.

Rethink, recycle, reuse

Heike Sprunck

A packaging specialist, Heike is responsible for packaging products from Blieskastel factory and distribution boards in other smaller factories. She participated in the Think! Plastic? initiative and is proud to see that some of the ideas she suggested are being converted into tangible actions. A member of different working groups and institutions in Germany, she is passionate about packaging, keeping up to date and finding long term sustainable solutions.

Plastic is the most efficient material for packaging in terms of protection, weight and usability, however the end of life cycle for plastics is bad news for the environment. NRPP minded colleagues set themselves a huge challenge to find the most sustainable solution, and more often than not, the best solution isn’t the easiest to implement. Take cardboard for example. It has the reputation of being better than plastic as it is easier to recycle and it’s a great material to protect goods during transport, but, and there is quite a big but, it’s voluminous. Therefore when goods are packaged in corrugated cardboard there is up to 40% less space available on pallets, which in turn, means more trucks for transportation, more CO₂ emissions not to mention more energy consumption in transport as cardboard is heavier than plastic. The process of recycling cardboard and paper also uses a lot of water and the machines to do so take up more space. So it’s a real conundrum to find the best alternative for our company, customers and environment.

Clearly this means adopting a holistic approach to changing packaging with the whole life cycle carefully examined. Heike Sprunck, a packaging engineer at Hager Group, kicked off the process with detailed research into what materials are available, how protective they are and if they can be defined as a sustainable solution. “It’s a huge job because the process is not just about changing the material, we need to factor in if it will help our customers too. Between the search for new materials and testing them, to delivery to the customers, there is a whole series of steps to take.” Two changes were introduced early in 2021: one was a general reduction in the amount of material used, so less to recycle, less space taken up on a pallet, better filled delivery trucks – a win-win situation. The other change was choosing post-consumer recycled material. Not all recycling processes are environmentally friendly so even the recycling methods needed to be carefully analysed.

Packaging with a difference: Heike proudly presents our new plastic-free packaging for small distribution boards.

Getting the best long-term results

Of course, the NRPP team want results, but they know they need to take their time to really find the best long term solutions; it’s not just about reaching the target on (recycled) paper.

One of the changes will be the wrapping process and materials used in production. Heike says that colleagues in production also need to be onboarded to understand why the changes are being made and what the benefits are for them, customers and the environment. Different materials require different packaging methods, this could range from using less tape to wrap, using less and thinner foil and to adapting the way certain products are shrink wrapped.

Sarvenaz Lang

Sarvenaz is a Category Manager at Hager Group. She is convinced that the Sourcing department can also play a role in offering customers environmentally clean products. She is passionate about working for a cleaner future and is certain that every step towards a cleaner environment is a step that benefits us all.

According to Sarvenaz Lang from the Sourcing department, it isn’t just a process change it’s also a mindset change. “Customers have certain expectations when it comes to packaging. Apart from the fact that it isn’t always simple to source certain materials due to global shortages – of course everyone now wants recycled plastics – sometimes customers can be reticent to receive goods wrapped in cardboard because it necessitates voluminous waste management on their part. So we really need to help them understand why we are making certain sustainable choices. Also, we will introduce specific labelling for all recycled packaging material to increase awareness of our approach.”

Positive reactions

Sarvenaz is encouraged by the positive attitude of colleagues and customers and quietly confident that the NRPP team will reach their target. “Since I have been part of this project I myself have become more sensitive to reducing the amount of plastic I use and buy. Also, thanks to the first-rate groundwork of my ex-colleague Paola Chiaradia, we are moving in the right direction.”

Other colleagues are also getting involved, and a steadily increasing number are even coming to NRPP team members with ideas and suggestions for actions. Having ideas is one thing, but transforming them into tangible results is another. This is where packaging engineer Heike is quick to point out that although there are hurdles to overcome and sometimes complicated validation processes “we are on the right track, we have ecological solutions to substitute virgin plastic and we are already using less material in packaging. We are working methodically to find the right holistic sustainable packaging solutions for everyone. We are investing now for a better future.”

Newly designed plastic-free packaging for small distribution boards on the production line in Germany.

Rethinking plastic with passion and commitment

Before launching the NRPP project, we had the Think! Plastic? initiative that was co-run by Sebastian Haak, a member of the first LeAp cohort, a yearly group leadership development program. We asked him about his motivation and experience.

Sebastian Haak

Sebastian is an electrical engineer and has worked as Project and Product Manager. He is currently Senior Manager in Product Marketing, responsible for Power Distribution Systems up to 4000 A. He is passionate about eliminating plastics, it is his personal commitment towards his children; he wants to be a good role model to them. He remains committed to the NRPP projects because he likes challenges and making new discoveries. He is convinced that rethinking the use of plastics can turn into a competitive advantage for the business.

Sebastian, would it be fair to say that the NRPP project is the natural evolution of the Think! Plastic? initiative?

Sebastian Haak: Yes, you could say that. In fact, the first project kicked off was called Kill Plastics, but as it’s important to point out that plastic is not bad per se, we renamed it Think! Plastic?. The initiative was undertaken at the request of the Board of Directors to find a sustainable option for our use of plastics.

What is your own personal motivation?

Plastics are everywhere at Hager Group. In our packaging, in our products, in our offices… As a family-owned company with strong values, both colleagues and customers expect a much more sustainable way of dealing with plastics. The original Think! Plastic? team members all have children, we realised that this project was our big chance to leverage the power of our Hager Group community and significantly contribute to the next generation’s future. My three Think! Plastic? colleagues and I were motivated by the idea of initiating a mindset change. Their absolute passion and commitment, to this, or indeed, any project was inspiring and a constant motivator for me. We were determined to make a success of it and pushed ourselves despite some difficulties.

How did Think! Plastic? transition to the Non-Recycled Plastic Packaging project (NRPP)?

After research, deep dives and aligning ourselves with Daniel Hager’s expectations, we structured the project and set clear goals. There was a huge emotional investment; we discovered that so many colleagues really care about reducing plastics and offered us their support and ideas. A community around Think! Plastic? grew and local initiatives were shared. After just one year we established key fields of action towards a sustainable plastic future for the group and an approach to professionally integrate this into the company project. We supported Matthieu Alexandropoulos and his team in integrating Think! Plastic? into the company’s overall environmental sustainability approach. They took over in 2021 and the NRPP project is now well on the way to implementing the first fields of action from our original Think! Plastic? roadmap.

You work in product marketing, so your job isn’t directly related to packaging and you are not part of the environmental sustainability team, so why are you still involved?

My answer is simple, change doesn’t happen overnight. It is important to not let up. Implementing quick wins gives impetus, but it is just the beginning. The challenge now is to build an environmental sustainability mindset and integrate it into all our group functions, processes, policies and to make sure they fit together. The ultimate goal must be to anchor environmentally sustainable business in our Hager Group culture. It is a long-term mission. To sum up, Sarvenaz Lang points out, “every step towards a cleaner environment is a step that benefits us all.” Like with any project she agrees that NRPP has had its teething problems but once the momentum is in place and change accepted as the norm, the shift to ecological thinking makes sense and makes working together easier in the long term. Indeed, getting this project off the ground in a year of global material shortages and Covid complications is something to be proud of she insists, “every conversion of existing packaging material to a more sustainable one is a victory.”

Empowering customers in Sweden

Nordic countries have a reputation for being at the forefront when it comes to sustainable initiatives – or is this just a myth? Joakim Albrektsson, Supply Chain Manager for Sweden sorted out fact from fiction for us and explained how with the help of David Dupuis, a colleague in France. Hager products and solutions are featured on an innovative platform system that empowers Swedish customers in their choices when it comes to constructing and fitting out new buildings with an environmentally-friendly approach. Could Hager Sweden be a model to follow in the future?

It is becoming increasingly important for customers in Sweden to know about the products and solutions to be installed in their new constructions. A window of opportunity was therefore open. A group of constructors and property owners in Sweden set up a unique non-profit organisation in the construction industry gathering together many actors around a common and important goal – to build non-toxic and sustainable buildings for today’s and tomorrow’s generations. The organisation is called Byggvarubedomningen, BVB for short.

Hager products

Hager products and solutions for Sweden have been documented on the BVB platform since mid-2021. A broad range of commercial products for diffuse business and project sales are available. An estimated 50% of Hager Sweden’s turnover is generated via this sustainable platform approach, and it will increase in the future. The interest in this type of open approach to product assessment will gain momentum in the future; electrical wholesalers can provide the list of products and companies on the BVB platform in their web shops.

Being part of the solution

BVB wants to positively influence future building constructions and the people working in this sector to find sustainable solutions that do not contain hazardous substances. It was important for Hager Sweden to be part of the solution to promote the use of safe products in the construction trade.

To sum it up, it’s sustainable real estate.

Thanks to Joakim, David and the team in Sweden, a broad range of Hager products and solutions are featured on BVB’s website. This allows a customer to know down to the smallest detail absolutely everything about the composition of the products. Having products assessed and then referenced by BVB is a real game changer for Hager and is very present on the Swedish market as many Swedish installers and wholesalers use the platform. BVB’s web portal is open for customers to look for whatever product they want and then consult a list of all the suppliers with a BVB certification. And then based on the information found, customers can choose the supplier with the most environmentally friendly product. It’s a kind of sustainable shopping list where customers can cherry pick according to their own needs, personal values and environmental sustainability goals.

A deciding factor

Joakim who worked closely with BVB to get our products referenced, comments that “what BVB are aiming for is something that we fully support. We share the same sustainable vision and want to help our customers be in line with their own values and environmental approach.” A lot of support was necessary to consolidate all the detailed data and the challenge was providing very detailed information on substance levels. BVB’s demands for information are more rigorous than European regulations, files requested go beyond a generic environmental passport, there is in depth analysis of each and every part of the product by experts who really know their stuff so you can’t pull the wool over their eyes with vague documentation. Hager products and solution such as trunking, enclosures and devices all contain a lot of plastic, PVC and electronics. The assessment is not just plastic oriented, it takes into account RoHS and REACH, but as plastic makes up a large part of Hager products it could be one of the deciding factors for a customer.

Joakim Albrektsson

Joakim has both a private and professional interest and commitment to environmental and sustainability issues. As Supply Chain Manager, providing customers a better logistics’ experience that in parallel has a reduced impact on the climate motivates him on a daily basis. He is a believer in “dream big start small scale fast”, convinced that together we can make a difference for the next generation.

David Dupuis

David is a plastic engineer by education and joined Hager Group 12 years ago after working in the automotive industry and a stint in a small company. In his previous job, he developed eco-friendly material to reduce the impact of plastic by mixing plastic or 100% biodegradable materials with hemp and straw to improve mechanical performances. David is very aware that industrial activity has a huge impact on the environment and biodiversity and is a firm believer that part of the solution must come from more responsible consumer behaviour – buy less & better and share resources so we can all coexist on our planet.

David Dupuis from the sustainability department was precious help for Joakim and the Swedish team in setting up and investigating the detailed product files to provide just the right level of information to BVB. Documents, templates and details went back and forth many times before they were finally accepted by BVB. “It has been a real challenge to be listed with BVB but the result is worthy of the efforts we have made. In the Sustainable Development department, we work daily to identify, measure, compare and act so that our impact on the environment is as low as possible. For our products, this can mean reducing the use of raw materials, favouring materials that do not contain substances that are dangerous for biodiversity or that are recycled. It’s also about the way we design our products, ensuring that they consume less energy, increasing their lifespan or facilitating their reparability or dismantling for example.”

Sustainability and transparency

This level of rigour from both the team and BVB is encouraging as it shows the approach isn’t just lip service to the environment. Nothing is missing, everything is precisely analysed to give the correct classification. Joakim comments that “getting classification wasn’t a piece of cake. It was really challenging to understand exactly what BVB were asking for because it was extremely technical, so it was the perfect solution to have David to support the approach. As it’s not possible to distract BVB from the essential, it is a guarantee of quality for customers.” There is also another approach that David is quick to point out, “the solution also lies in our daily behaviour when it comes to purchasing, by consuming less and better, with a fair sharing of wealth, which will surely make our little world a better place.”

Sweden may be a small country but the Swedish team’s approach to sustainability and transparency for customers is a big success story. Swedish customers and wholesalers are well on the way to recognising Hager brand as one of reliability and transparency. The team are fulfilling their role as an expert advisor to customers in Sweden who want to make informed sustainable choices. It won’t be long before this type of request comes from customers in the rest of Europe.