Our recycling strategy

As a manufacturing company with a high material input and output (all input-output listings under Recycling & Resources overview), it is our declared environmental policy to use raw materials sparingly and to recycle them as far as possible. EVVA’s recycling quota refers to recyclable waste (or rather "recyclables") in relation to total material use. The quota remained fairly constant at 66% in the years before 2020. 2022 it increased up to 92%, among other things justified by a more efficient machine employment. EVVA had set itself the target of a 75% share, which was thus achieved. We recycle various materials, including:

Own metal chips

Our metal chips (mainly brass), which is produced during the processing of EVVA locking cylinders, is 100% recycled – and has been for many decades! They are melted down by the supplier and returned in their entirety to the production process. (You can find out more about the recycled content of our purchased brass under "Recycling & Resources Overview".)

This recycled metal swarf accounts for around 25% of our total demand for metal. The other 75% become finished EVVA products.

Metal recycling (Chips and solid waste) per year 

EVVA recycled more and more metal in the last years. Brass from 400 tons (2019) to 511 tons (2022). This means that our recycling rate for brass has increased by almost 30%. For nickel silver, it has risen by 14% since 2019 (and remained roughly the same for iron). The reason for this is that EVVA is increasingly using "machining technology" for complex product parts, which separates excess material in the form of chips and thus increases recycling. This process has also increased the proportion of parts we manufacture in-house, which means that EVVA has to buy less from external sources.  

Internal packaging/reusable pallets

In 2020, EVVA was able to increase its share of internal packaging, i.e. our reusable pallets, to 25% (2019: 20%) and reduce the share of sales packaging to 75% (2019: 80%). This change in shares effects that EVVA can reuse more packaging. Because EVVA transports the semi-finished parts (i.e. cylinder housings, plugs) via the reusable pallet system to own subsidiaries and to some larger external sales partners. This eliminates the need for any additional packaging. The advantages of EVVA reusable pallets (see photo) pervade all sustainability categories:

1) Economics Transport is cheaper and safer (no scratch damage as is possible with metal pallets). The production robots can pick the workpiece directly from the reusable pallets, which was not possible with the conventional containers

2) Ecology: EVVA has increased the proportion of reusable pallets in its total internal packaging since 2015 from 40% to meanwhile 85%. Unfortunately, the target of 100% reusable pallets that EVVA set itself in the next to last sustainability report could not be achieved. However, EVVA is aiming for a 90% share of reusable pallets

3) Employees/Social aspects: The conventional metal containers weigh approx. 30 kg. Our reusable pallets weigh only 9 kg – making them easy to transport without the risk of injury

Sales packaging

These account, as mentioned, at present for 75% of all EVVA packaging. Since 2017, EVVA has been using product packaging in sales that is made of 100% environmentally friendly, recyclable cardboard and not plastic/polystyrene.

Only overpacks (for protection during transport) are still made of synthetic material/plastic. 

Additional benefits:

• There are cardboard collection containers everywhere. No special disposal locations are necessary
   
• Low storage costs, because the basic package is always the same. The product is identified by means of attractively designed label and sleeve    
   
• The packages stack well and save space
   
• Cardboard produces less and less CO2 during production (e.g. compared to polystyrene). The processes for this have become even more environmentally friendly in recent years 

In total, EVVA reuses around 35% of the total packaging quantity (this includes internal packaging and sales packaging for all product categories).

Products

In the course of their life cycle, EVVA receives a small percentage of the products returned via trade partners and its own subsidiaries. These are dismantled and wherever possible the parts are reused or melted down.

Paper

More information about our measures to reduce paper consumption under Waste.