Improving Materials Efficiency at Planex

Planex Sales in collaboration with Sustainability Victoria¹ (SV) has found a way to make significant reductions in its use of new materials and waste generation.

We reduced our waste of a polymer known as powder-coat powder² by not dumping it to landfill and instead using it to manufacture a new type of counterweight for our furniture. The project addressed the last major issue in our supply chain and stewardship of materials; namely, the powder that is wasted and that cannot be recycled; it could not be reused before this project. Using the powder in this way will save two thirds of our waste powder from ending up in landfill, two thirds of new steel going into the counterweights, and reduce our gas use by not having to heat-treat as much the waste powder as when all of it was sent to landfill. The project reduces our factory’s total GHG output by 6%.

Planex now re-uses most of its waste powder instead of sending it to landfill. The remaining unused amount is the subject of further research. This was initiated and is driven by Planex in order to demonstrate that the waste powder can be pyrolyzed to extract valuable raw materials from it for re-use instead of being sent to landfill. The research is a co-funded collaboration³ between the Commonwealth Government (Innovation Connections) and industry (Planex, Dulux, AkzoNobel, AISF).

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