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igus® inc.

PO BOX 14349

East Providence

RI 02914

+1 800 521 2747
+1 401 438 7270
US(EN)

Our Commitment to Sustainability

When we first developed high-performance plastics for motion, the topic of environmental protection was admittedly not our main focus. We wanted to develop products that bolstered our clients' manufacturing, improveed technology and reduced costs. Despite this, recycling has always been a sincerely important topic, and we now reuse 99% of our plastic waste by processing it into granulate material and recycling it back into the production process.
 
Today, we know that products longer lasting products that do not require lubrication contribute to preserving our environment. Eliminating messy, external lubricants means less environmental pollution, less abrasion & less pollution with microplastics, and less weight—meaning less energy required for movement.
 
As producers of special plastics, we have clients in many industries as well as the sensitive area of medicine. We are aware of our responsibility to the environment along with the possibilities that plastic offers in many areas compared to steel, and we continue to research new materials and products that will benefit our clients and our environment.


Our resource conservation projects and initiatives

tree planting

igus Announces Partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF)


Leader in motion plastics announces new partnership with the National Forest Foundation to aid in campaign to plant more than 50 million trees
 

Update on the path to climate neutrality

In 2021, we achieved 31.2% less CO2 emissions than in 2020. This figure relates to Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. The switch to green electricity in mid-2021 and to climate-neutral gas in October 2021 will play a key role here. 

Still to be solved:

  • Emissions of gases and chemicals from the production of raw materials 
  • Abrasion during use 
  • Dependence on the fossil raw material oil

Goals:

  • By 2025, we want our buildings and production to be CO2-neutral.
Sustainability
Before: production of plastics and parts
In useplastics in use
After: plastics after their use
2022 Sustainability brochure

2022 Sustainable Innovations


Before

Production of plastics and parts

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Energy balance

The production of 1 m³ of plastic requires around 50% less energy than that of 1 m³ of steel or aluminium.
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Oil consumption

The production of high-performance plastics accounts for just 0.5% of global oil consumption.

After

Plastics after their use

chainge Recycling Program

We launched our "chainge" cable carrier recycling program in 2019. You can send us used energy chains (from igus or other manufacturers). You receive a voucher, and we separate components by type and use them ourselves or supply them to recycling partners. As of 12/2021, we have already received 25.97 tons of material.   

Chemical Recycling - HydroPRS

We have invested five million euros in Mura Technology, a company that uses a new technology, HydroPRS (Hydro Plastic Recycling Solution), to convert unsorted plastic waste to crude oil within 20 minutes. Conserves resources with pressure, temperature, and water. Construction of the first large-scale plant started in April 2021, and more and more companies are cooperating with Mura Technology. 

In Use

Plastics in use & Self-lubricating

27 million tons of grease pollute the worldwide environment every year. Our polymers do not require lubrication.

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50% of all lubricants sold worldwide end up in the environment. (Source: M. P. Schneider, 2006)
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1 liter of oil contaminates 1,000,000 liters of drinking water. (Source: Saskatchewan Association for Resource Recovery Corp., 2008)
sustain
1/3 of the total fuel consumption of a passenger car is used to overcome friction in the engine, gearbox, tires and brakes. (Source: K. Holmberg, P. Andersson, A. Erdemir, 2012)
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Global demand for lubricants will increase by 2 % annually, according to forecasts = 45.4 million tonnes in 2019. (Source: The Freedonia Group, 2015)

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Power consumption

All of the electricity we purchase is green, and we are reducing the amount of power our machinery and equipment consume. We are acquiring injection moulding machines that are 40% more energy efficient and replacing old ones. We reduced power consumption by 11% in 2021 even as we increased production hours. 
recycled

99% recycled

99% of our rejects in injection-moulding production (sprues, defective parts) are recycled and returned to the manufacturing process.
clean igus

clean igus program

Mechanical measures such as magnetic foils and guide plates prevent parts from falling out of the machines in the production process and becoming waste. We reduced our waste ratio (production waste + processed material) by 21% in 2021 thanks to these and other measures. 

Certified according to ISO 14001

In order to make our environmental policy transparent and comprehensible, we have been certified according to ISO standard 14001 since 2019, a recognised basis for environmental management systems. This helps us on our way towards a CO2-neutral factory.
Learn More

Engineer's Toolbox Resources

 


The terms "igus", "Apiro", "chainflex", "CFRIP", "conprotect", "CTD", "drylin", "dry-tech", "dryspin", "easy chain", "e-chain", "e-chain systems", "e-ketten", "e-kettensysteme", "e-skin", "e-spool", "flizz", "ibow", "igear", "iglidur", "igubal", "kineKIT", "manus", "motion plastics", "pikchain", "plastics for longer life", "readychain", "readycable", "ReBeL", "speedigus", "triflex", "robolink", "xirodur", and "xiros" are legally protected trademarks of the igus® GmbH/ Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany and where applicable in some foreign countries.

igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsibushi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention in this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH