Sustainability at egeplast

Mentioning plastic pipes made of polyethylene (PE) and sustainability in the same breath might initially appear somewhat strange. However, plastics used sustainably to construct a long-lasting and secure infrastructure is totally different from the plastic waste to be avoided for the sake of protecting our environment and the world’s oceans. We therefore would like to let you take a peek behind the scenes of plastic pipes manufacturing, along with many interesting facts, to show you why PE pipe systems and the manufacturing process involved in producing them contribute to going easy with resources and to safeguarding our drinking water supply in the long run.

Emission-free manufacturing and 100% recycling

You will not be able to find a chimney at egeplast. To melt the raw materials, we use electrical energy – which in view of the increasing share of green electricity in Germany is being generated in more and more sustainable ways. At the same time, we use the resulting waste heat to heat buildings. Production does not result in any waste, since any potential rejects are processed and reused. This way, no industrial waste water accumulates and we do not require any disposal sites. Also, by storing commodities in our “inhouse textile silos”, we reduce the energy requirements involved in the preparation of the material. Here is an interesting comparison: The amount of electricity needed to manufacture 1 metre of pipe is as low as the average amount used up by a traditional 60-watt light bulb in 4 hours.

A climate-friendly material

Polyethylene is made from the precursor, ethylene, which in former times used to be burnt (flared off) as “waste material” in a way which resulted in polluting the environment. Life cycle analyses have been used to assess the impact of the production of raw materials on the environment according to the ISO 14040 standard. A number of studies have shown that the CO2 footprint caused by PE pipes is significantly lower compared to the one left by other raw materials. Teppfa provides an online calculator based on a study performed by the neutral Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO):

www.teppfa.eu/sustainability/environmental-footprint/lca

A study performed by S. Büsser and R. Frischknecht, ESU-services Ltd. on behalf of Georg Fischer Piping Systems, 2008, provides a comparison between pipe materials

“You will not be able to find a chimney at egeplast.”

Long useful life and protection of drinking water

Professionally welded PE pipe systems can be operated for more than 100 years without running into any risk of leakages and will hardly ever require any maintenance over the entire operating period because there will be no ingress of roots or embrittlement and because the material is flexible and will not break should any earth movement occur. Thanks to their aluminium layer, products such as SLA® Barrier Pipes also rule out any impairment of the drinking water in the event of future soil contaminations. Comprehensive certifications such as those provided by KIWA, DVGW or DK-Water have confirmed the suitability of egeplast PE pipes for a sustainable protection of drinking water. And should a PE-pipe system no longer be used at some point, the pipes can be recycled and used as cable protection pipes and the like.

Eco-friendly and fast construction

Using PE pipes for construction projects protects the environment due to shorter construction times and the use of trenchless installation methods or even relining of old pipes. The flexibility of the material enables delivery of coiled bundles or drums providing pipe lengths of more than 1,000 meters, which ensures fast installation without needing to resort to any time-consuming connections. egeplast SLM® protective layer pipes can also be used in the context of horizontal drilling, without any need for opening the ground surface (which might damage trees or soil layers). Moreover, using relining in urban areas helps to avoid inner-city traffic jams.

Regional deliveries

Placed in the heart of Europe, most of the pipe deliveries are carried out within a radius of 600 km. PE pipes are a very regional product, with a manufacturer of PE pipes represented in almost every European country. In 2019, egeplast opened a manufacturing site in England – a fact which results in avoiding more than 150 truck transits per year from Germany to England. Also, we use as little packaging material as possible for packing PE pipes. Usually, only a few stabilising wooden transport pallets and belt will be used.

Sustainability at egeplast

“You will not be able to find a chimney at egeplast.”

If you have any questions related to sustainability at egeplast, please feel free to talk to us or to contact us in writing via gf@egeplast.de.

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