Austria’s leading winter sports equipment manufacturers have now joined forces to recycle used items. The project is managed by the ecoplus plastics cluster in Lower Austria. The kick-off took place a few days ago in St. Pölten.
1.8 million pairs of skis and ski boots, 2.3 million pairs of ski poles and 1.4 million ski helmets. A lot of ski equipment has been sold in Austria over the past five years. Ultimately, these sporting goods, which largely consist of plastic, end up in the trash at the end of their lifespan. And this despite the fact that valuable raw materials for new products could be extracted through recycling.
But now the leading manufacturers of winter sports equipment in Austria are joining forces. Because together with companies from the plastics sector and under the leadership of the ecoplus plastics cluster in Lower Austria, they work on recycling used winter sports equipment. This is how the WINTRUST (Winter Sports Resource Efficiency and improved Circular Economy) project was launched.
Towards a circular economy
“It is remarkable that companies that actually compete with each other are joining forces to advance this important topic for the future,” said Governor Johanna Mikl Leitner. “The project is another important step towards making our region a center of the circular economy in Europe while meeting the requirements of the EU Green Deal.” The EU Green Deal aims to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 percent compared to 1990.
The aim of the project is to establish a corresponding collection system and to analyze and evaluate processing options for used winter sports equipment. Economically, ecologically and socially responsible circular models are developed on the basis of five specific case studies.
Well-known project partners
Project partners include winter sports equipment manufacturers Atomic, HEAD, FISCHER, BLIZZARD – TECNICA and LEKI. On the supplier side, Isosport, Hexcel, Gabriel Chemie, Asma GmbH and Sunpor are participating in the project, as are Intersport Austria and Sport Bründl on the dealer side.
GW St. Pölten, Thermoplastkreis GmbH, SynCycle Operations GmbH and Next Generation Elements GmbH will take over the processing/recycling area. ZEMKA Gesellschaft mbH is responsible for the collection. Old winter sports equipment is collected in the pilot regions of Pinzgau and Pongau.
Kick-off in St. Pölten
A few days ago, the project partners met for the official kick-off at GW St. Pölten Integrative Betriebse GmbH. “With this project we not only want to contribute to the conservation of resources by recycling winter sports equipment, but also offer people with disabilities meaningful and valuable work,” emphasizes CEO of GW St. Pölten Integrative Betriebse GmbH Gerhard Nachförg.
The ecoplus team of the plastics cluster has been working on the theme of the circular economy since 2010: “Winter sports items such as skis, ski boots, poles or helmets are largely made of high-quality plastics. “It was therefore the next logical step to bring these two topics together and close the loop in the field of winter sports equipment,” says Ecoplus director Helmut Miernicki.
Research partners in the project are the Montanuniversität Leoben and the Transfer Center for Plastics Technology TCKT. Other project partners include the Austrian Timber Industry/Austrian Ski Industry Association, the Association of Sports Goods Manufacturers and Sports Goods Retailers VSSÖ and the Austrian Carbon Cycle Circle ÖCC².
Source: Krone
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