Plastic through the ages
There was a moment in the 1950s when everything was suddenly made of plastic. The new, versatile material was inexpensive and popular due to its durability. It soon became clear that it also had downsides, and recycling would be important. Nowadays plastic is facing some criticism, but many applications are simply not feasible without the material. And various alternatives that claim to be sustainable have an impact on the environment in other ways. Following the trail of a much-discussed material.
我们来自哪里......我们要去哪里
并不是所有的塑料都是相同的。而mass-produced goods must be pure, i. e., they may not contain any toxic substances, technical plastic is very complex. It must meet mechanical requirements and legal conditions. So it is not as easy as it might seem to identify where savings can be made, or where less or recycled material can be used. The fact is that there is a lot to learn, relating to both the past and present.
点评：塑料轻量级！
20世纪中叶的绝对塑料嗡嗡声可能并不容易理解许多今天。仔细考试，很明显，兴奋是通过明显的优势来证明的。在此之前，金属是所有类型的设备和机器的施工材料 - 并且金属昂贵且重。这是一种耐用的绝缘，吸音和隔热，以及轻质和便宜的材料;这相当于技术革命。它的批量生产的性质和适用性使塑料成为德国经济奇迹的材料在第二次世界大战后建造的材料。
Daniel Carmine Manocchio, manager of the materials laboratory at Kärcher, explains: “With every new technology, there is hype when it is rolled out to the mass market. One need only think of the dreams of nuclear-powered private cars or the current wave in artificial intelligence. However, in the end the excitement has to come back down to earth.” For Kärcher, too, plastic was a step towards ergonomic, sustainable products. The first mobile high-pressure cleaner, the HD 555 from 1984, weighed a full 15 kilograms. This meant that mobile use was possible, but not convenient for the user. “Plastic offered the possibility of reducing the weight considerably. Today such products weigh between five and ten kilograms,” says Manocchio.
Another aspect that got people fired up about plastic in the early days was its durability, which at that time was a clear advantage in terms of value preservation.
Insight: The issue of recycling
第一个回收波在2000年代初来，只是因为研磨和增加生产残留物导致材料，因此节省成本。然而，回收，无论是通过重新释放排序的废物还是通过热解释放，仍然昂贵且不广泛建立。“塑料在技术领域具有重要意义，因为它的性质可以通过适应结构和组成来修改，”加入Manocchio。“不同塑料的细致分离在再循环时非常重要，否则再循环材料的性质急剧受损。这对技术组成部分是棘手的。“原始材料通常不仅具有更好的质量，而且比再生材料便宜。
尽管如此，Manocchio可以看到市场的转变：“每个人都明白每周使用一瓶洗发水是一个问题。但是，焦点越来越多地对塑料也用于高压清洁剂，例如，电气装置通常不是一次性装置。“自2012年以来，Kärcher将再生塑料的比例增加了四倍。自2018年底以来，该公司一直在使用Technyl4earth技术来制造喷雾枪口（参见部分：从旧的部分制作）。在可持续发展策略的框架内，整个公司都会引入更多的变化，直到包装材料的减少（见第：更少）。
Future: What is sustainable?
Every human being probably secretly asks themselves the question of what behaviour ultimately makes a contribution to protecting our planet. “The situation is extremely complex, even for the simplest applications,” states Manocchio. “If a paper shopping bag is only used once because, for example, it got wet and ripped, then a reusable plastic bag would have been more sustainable.”
At Kärcher, the aim is to keep a close eye on sustainability in the development of products. The EU Ecodesign Directive provides a legal framework, that has also been adopted globally in some instances. A core idea is design for recycling, which also counteracts the image that sustainability is always expensive. “If I reduce the use of materials, this is less expensive. If I replace composites with recycled materials, this is less expensive in the long run,” explains Manocchio. “Take one small detail: if I leave out the plastic bag packaging the accessories, this is less expensive. And all this is good for the environment.”
另一个关键概念是欧盟渴望的回收经济，这也专注于预防，减少和重复利用材料的原则（参见ZVEI的经理环境政策的理解环境政策访谈 - 德国电气和电子制造商协会）。为确保世界仍然适合随后的代，每个公司和每一个人都最终需要改变其行为。Daniel Carmine Manocchio总结起来：“未来的道路包括这么多的小步骤，这很多人必须一起占用。我们应该开始一个开始，而不是被复杂性虔诚。“
„Partnerships are the way forward.“
采访Leo Stein（Zvei），Zvei的经理环境政策 - 德国电气和电子制造商协会
Mr Stein, in your opinion what are the relevant trends with a view to sustainability for companies?
有各种各样的趋势，我将把我的答案局限于机构方面。欧洲委员会的循环经济行动计划为未来几年的公司列出了一些指导方针。它是一个可持续的产品政策，生态发展和修理权的权利。这方面完美突出了联系的复杂性：谁可以进行维修，以便制造商的法律义务不抵消保修？我们需要新的想法和方法来成功 - 而且它们也在发展中。
究竟正在开发什么？
各公司正在研究新的回收方法，即g。，用于二级塑料。使用化学过程的再生材料是纯的，但仍然有所昂贵。机械过程并不总是产生产品安全所需的质量水平。在这方面，将来可能会有一种方法和材料，因为没有“一种尺寸适合所有”的行业原则。其他想法旨在减少材料的使用 - 而不仅仅是在塑料方面。根据欧盟法规，所有相关数据必须用产品封闭，使用大量纸张和资源。在ZVEI上，有一个令人兴奋的项目正在进行中：数字式板块。它以标准化的方式在线提供的信息。
亲自为您：我们需要将未来可持续发展是什么？
首先，它已经可以看到伙伴关系带来进展。电子设备，回收行业和原发性塑料制造商的制造商可以达到一系列巨大的协议。其次，我们应该停止关注我们的担忧或预订 - 在许多情况下，我们只是需要采取行动。第三，我认为我们都需要承担责任：甚至我，狮子岛斯坦伊，不得不好好看看自己，并考虑我需要的东西，如何正确地处理产品以及可以修复的东西
kärcher正在努力
更少的是：包装的减少
Packaging is a key issue when it comes to saving material. Up to now, four polystyrene inserts were used for the OC 3 mobile outdoor pressure washer in order to protect the device during transportation: plastic waste that is avoidable. The box was made smaller and a cardboard insert was developed. The packaging size was also reduced by 20 per cent, no more plastic is used – and the costs for the packaging have dropped 45 per cent.
从旧的旧时代：安全气囊和海洋塑料
Kärcher是第一家公司之一，该公司是从制造商Domo中使用Technyl4earth技术的公司串联生产的消费市场。聚酰胺从其生产中的旧安全气囊和残余物中再循环。为了使材料足够坚韧的喷雾矛盾和一般稳健，用30％的玻璃纤维增强。
Kärcher还在使用海洋塑料进行密集研究。海洋中普遍的塑料比例最大的比例由PET，PE，PP和PVC等包装材料组成。由于其属性，这些对Kärcher几乎没用，但仍然不断监测。
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