Businesses connect ecology and economy

Gaben in Lohne sparks for intensive discussion: from left Claus Wilk (Conference Moderator), Christoph Kämpf (Karmeliten Brewery), Anita Engler (Daimler AG), Torsten Ratzmann (Pöppelmann), Christoph Leifer (Phoenix Contact Electronics), Stefan Waldeisen (Modern Industry Publishing), Magdalena Münstermann (Bernd Münstermann GmbH), Matthias Lesch (Pöppelmann), and Dr. Eberhard Niggemann (Weidmüller Academy). (Photo: Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG Kunststoffwerk-Werkzeugbau)

A blue pot gets the cycle moving: Production Manager Ulrich Lampe (left) explained to Lohner's Mayor Tobias Gerdesmeyer (right) during the XXL factory tour the manufacturing of the new recycling product. (Image: Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG Kunststoffwerk-Werkzeugbau)

Anyone who wants to operate sustainably must fundamentally rethink not only product concepts and production processes but also personnel management and energy management. This is one of the results that the participants of the two-day Industry Forum in Lohne took home. The plastics company Pöppelmann was the host of this week’s specialist conference, which the Modern Industry publishing house organizes annually.

Christoph Kämpf is the managing director of one of the oldest companies in all of Germany: He oversees the affairs of the Karmeliten Brewery in Straubing, founded in 1367 in Munich. "We don't think in managerial years, but in generations," he summarized in his expert lecture at the top industry forum at Pöppelmann in Lohne, highlighting the prerequisites for sustainable action. Kämpf told the conference participants how the traditional brewery is currently working to become energy self-sufficient and has already reduced its CO₂ footprint by 40 percent.

A lecture that attracted great interest, as did the presentations of other speakers from various production sectors: Christoph Leifer, CEO of Phoenix Contact Electronics (Blomberg), explained his company's new concepts for resource-efficient building technology; Magdalena Münstermann, senior manager of the special plant manufacturer Münstermann in Telgte, reported on the diverse activities of her company to retain employees—including an international stay for every trainee; Dr. Eberhard Niggemann, head of the Weidmüller Academy and sustainability officer of the Weidmüller Group (Detmold), explained how Weidmüller implements the idea of sustainability in the areas of economy (through financial independence), environment (through holistic energy management), and society (through youth development).

The speech by Anita Engler, Recycling Manager at Daimler AG, also received significant attention. Her topic was the possibilities of recycled material use in the automotive sector. She made it clear that, fundamentally, it is about "using the right material in the right place." And: all technical and qualitative requirements must be met in every respect. This means: recycled material must not differ from new material in its properties. She praised the hosts of the specialist conference: "The people at Pöppelmann stick it out and keep going, even when it gets tough."

How the Lohne-based plastics processor itself tackles the topic of sustainability was explained by Pöppelmann CEO Torsten Ratzmann at the start of the conference day. "For the shareholders, this topic is top priority. We have developed ideas and concepts together with them, which we bundle in our initiative Pöppelmann blue," he said. The goal and motivation are to preserve good living and working conditions for future generations. He pointed out that the company will present a sustainability report during the coming year: "With this, we want to demonstrate: How are we doing? How well are we doing? And: In which areas can we improve?"

Matthias Lesch, head of Pöppelmann’s innovation management, then provided insight into the initial findings and successes of the company initiative Pöppelmann blue: "Especially for short-lived plastic products, solutions that circulate in a material cycle through reusable and recycling systems will only be accepted in the medium term," he stated. He explained the difficulties involved in getting such a cycle moving, using the example of the plant pot in the color "Recycling Blue." This newly developed product from the Pöppelmann division Teku has recently been available in retail as a herb planter and is made of 100 percent waste from the yellow bin. The problem that had to be solved: How do waste sorting systems recognize the different types of plastics that need to be sorted for reuse?

The approximately 60 participants of the conference from various industries across Germany listened not only to expert lectures but also actively discussed at various themed tables about the possibilities and prerequisites of a broadly established circular system for plastic products.

Intensive discussions also took place on the first day of the conference, which began with an XXL factory tour of Pöppelmann in the afternoon and an evening event with a wild buffet at the Evers restaurant in Lüsche, featuring Professor Dr. Michael Baumgart as the dinner speaker. The chemist provocatively presented the principle "Cradle-to-Cradle"—translated: from the cradle to the cradle—that he developed himself. This recycling concept is now marketed with its own label. The approach: even during product development, the future use of the material after its initial use is considered. This way, all resources could continually flow back into a material cycle, Baumgart explained.

After two days of intensive conversations and discussions, the editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Production and conference moderator Claus Wilk thanked the company Pöppelmann on behalf of the organizer: "That was a big show. We have experienced incredible hospitality."