Recycling loop earns Agfa an award

Nov 29, 2015 at 09:29 pm by Staff


Agfa Graphics is good at supplying printing plates... and now it has an award to prove it.

At a gala event in Antwerp, the company was presented with the Belgian Supply Chain Award for 2015, recognising sustainability through recycling.

Judges chose the winner from six nominees: "This project stands because of the number of areas in the supply chain that were involved - from purchasing to sales, as well as different outside partners", jury chairman Christian Van Doorslaer sid. "It's a very good example of supply chain collaboration within a networked organisation."

Aim of the award is to stimulate companies to invest more in projects that improve the efficiency of their supply chain processes.

Agfa - for which aluminium printing plates represent more than 60 per cent of turnover - and it partners presented a sustainable closed-loop solution to their high-volume customers in which high-grade aluminium can be reused without value loss.

An evaluation of the carbon footprint for printing plates showed first evidence that the impact of the life cycle of plates on the environment is highly influenced by the production of the aluminium itself. The study demonstrated that current recycling technologies allow for the use of recycled printing plates in the plate production process. This reduces the total carbon footprint with 70 per cent given the aluminium is sent back to the manufacturer after being used on the printing presses. Consequently, the setup of a collaborative supply chain is crucial.

"This study project inspired us to develop and implement a new circular supply chain for printing plates," said Geert Lammens, Agfa's operations vice president. "It aims at a process that is both financially and environmentally sustainable for all parties involved, including aluminium suppliers, logistics partners, printing companies and Agfa Graphics as solution provider."

The closed loop approach guarantees that the aluminium is not uncontrollably downcycled, yet instead maintains its intrinsic value as much as possible.

Agfa can now go on to compete for the European Award for Logistics Excellence, a champions league only accessible to winners of national awards.


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