Kraiburg Austria introduces EMAS III environmental management system

The global struggle to reduce global warming through greater sustainability, conservation of resources and lowering of CO2 emissions is undisputedly one of the key problems our generation must address. Kraiburg Austria stresses that “the time for empty appeals, soapbox speeches and lip service is over,” adding that “coordinated measures need to be taken or introduced immediately to ensure the living conditions of future generations.” This isn’t a new subject for the retreading specialist: Kraiburg considers the development of innovative products and processes for various stages of the tyre lifecycle part of its “day-to-day business.”

The Kraiburg Group is currently one of Europe’s largest consumers of granulates and powders that are extracted from end-of-life tyres. Kraiburg Austria, as a material manufacturer for the retreading industry, is also by definition an active contributor to the recycling of used tyres. But the Geretsburg-headquartered firm doesn’t leave it at that. “Due to increasingly urgent climatic challenges as well as new business models, a more comprehensive consideration of environmental performance and the associated reorientation of environmental policy has become imperative for Kraiburg Austria,” explains managing director Stefan Mayrhofer. “We are convinced that the products and services of the future must be sustainable, and see ourselves as a motor for sustainable solutions in the rubber industry.”

Central subject areas have been identified during the course of this reorientation and serve as the basis upon which current and future measures are directed. The overall goal of improving environmental performance is to be based on the premise of ‘eliminate – reduce – compensate’. Mayrhofer elaborates: “The primary question is always whether an environmental effect can be avoided. If this is not the case, the focus is placed on reducing the environmental effect. And only when this is not feasible either, thought is given to suitable compensation measures.”

An initial milestone for Kraiburg on the path to implementing its new environment strategy is EMAS III certification, completed at the end of April. EMAS – short for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme – is an EU environment management system based upon ISO 14001 but incorporating additional requirements for open dialogue with the public. Kraiburg will accordingly publish an environment declaration with key indicators for environmental performance in the near future. “The introduction of an environment management system in accordance with EMAS III should ensure that the necessary structures for achieving our ambitious goals are created,” comments the Kraiburg Austria managing director. Implementation is the remit of the company’s environment officer, Gerold Schachner, and his team.

Environmental aspects with a direct impact

Kraiburg identifies the consumption of electrical and thermal energy, consumption of raw materials and resources as well as atmospheric emissions as key environmental aspects that have a direct impact upon the environment. Electricity and thermal energy use are essential factors influencing the Greensburg site’s environmental performance and are responsible for the greatest portion of its CO2 emissions. “We have always focused upon minimisation for economic reasons. The changeover to ‘green electricity’ as well as, most significantly, a further reduction of our energy requirements through the use of energy-saving equipment and the optimisation of processes, should contribute to a continuous improvement in environmental performance,” shares Schachner.

More than 90 per cent of the raw materials consumed at Kraiburg Austria go into the products it manufactures. Associated materials, such as packaging, account for only a small proportion of the resources the company uses, but Kraiburg nevertheless analyses this consumption on a regular basis in order to optimise and reduce the quantities used. “The used raw materials have, above all, a high environmental impact upon production. A more thorough comparison of various manufacturers’ raw materials during the supplier selection process should show how environmental impact can be influenced and minimised,” Schachner adds. “In addition, the company’s CO2 footprint is one of the central parameters for us as a chemical company. Any intended improvement can be measured based on this parameter, which is determined and checked annually by external experts with defined standards (GHG Protocol).” With its participation in the international Science Based Targets – Initiative (for the restriction of global warming to maximum 2° Celsius), Kraiburg Austria is committing itself to a substantial reduction of CO2 emissions.

Environmental aspects with an indirect impact

Natural rubber is the most important material used in the manufacture of Kraiburg products, but synthetic, oil-based raw materials also play a very important role. “Because of its properties, there is no alternative to natural rubber to achieve specific tyre performance characteristics. Meanwhile, the tyre industry, as the largest consumer of natural rubber, strives to ensure a sustainable production of natural rubber,” Schachner tells us. The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) initiative was founded to achieve a number of goals, including hindering the felling of further hectares of rainforest. Kraiburg supports this initiative and is a GPSNR member. The production of oil-based raw materials is usually an energy-intensive process; however, modern production facilities can contribute here towards minimising environmental impact. “The assessment of suppliers in terms of their environmental record will be a decisive basis for our choice of suitable suppliers in the future,” Mayrhofer comments.

Innovative product development – not just for compounds

Tyre rolling resistance has a major influence on a vehicle’s fuel consumption. Rolling resistance is in turn influenced by a range of factors, including the rubber compound used in the tyre’s tread. This means a manufacturer of tread compounds can make a difference. Along with rolling resistance, mileage potential is also an essential factor. Higher mileage potential means a tyre ‘consumes’ fewer materials, and resources are thus conserved. “Taking account of the different vehicle types, areas of application and loading situations as well as other relevant product properties, for example wet grip characteristics, winter properties, and braking behaviour, the central task of our compound development is to achieve continuous improvements in the rolling resistance and mileage parameters,” stresses product manager Christoph Priewasser. Unlike new tyres, for legal reasons retreads don’t come with tyre labels that include data on rolling resistance. “To enable consumers to compare different products, work on a tyre label for retreaded tyres is in progress on a European level, whereby we participate actively and are represented in the appropriate bodies for the creation of the directives,” says Priewasser.

But Kraiburg doesn’t just demonstrate innovation when it comes to rubber compounds. The firm will soon launch a water-based solution that goes by the name of Perivallon and will benefit the environment, operational reliability, and worker health and safety (see textbox). It is also offering its own TPMS, Recom Tylogic, that sounds an alarm in the event of gradual pressure loss.

The company is aware that it can only achieve ambitious goals by bringing its entire workforce on board. An individual rethink is needed in order to “ensure collective success.” Kraiburg supports this team approach with specific training and further vocational learning designed to establish a corporate culture of “sustainable thought and action” and to “bring about changes by identification processes which employees take home with them.” An example of this is the electrification of the company’s own vehicle fleet in 2021, including the installation of new charging points for electric and hybrid vehicles.

“An essential factor for the Kraiburg success story was and is our unconditional commitment to development and innovation. We will thus continue to set standards in future in the right choice of raw materials, the development of new products and materials, as well as the use of innovative, ‘ecological’ production technologies and by doing so, will be able to set the course for a sustainable future,” concludes Mayrhofer.