PFE International strives to improve recycling standards

Dr Mehran Zarrebini

The group produces broadloom carpets, carpet tiles, area rugs, polypropylene staple fibre, bulk continuous filament yarn, artificial hair, polypropylene continuous filament yarn, polypropylene tape, master batches, concrete fibre and rubber crumb. A number of other products derived from rubber crumb are manufactured by the group which include acoustic underlays and acoustic cradles.

Critical in tackling global environmental issues was viewing compliance as an opportunity rather than only adhering to the lowest environmental standards for as long as possible.

“It is economically and consciously sound to comply with the most stringent rules before they are enforced. This yields substantial first-mover advantages in terms of fostering innovation,” says PFE International CEO and Van Dyck Carpets director, Dr Mehran Zarrebini.

Value chains

Thereafter came instigating sustainable value chains, effectively reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources to boost efficiency.
“In an increasingly environmentally aware society, consumers prefer eco-friendly offerings and are prepared to pay the premiums to secure them, offering businesses a competitive advantage in redesigning existing products or developing new ones,” he says.

However, creating a sustainable business model did not merely entail rethinking customer value propositions, but developing innovative ways for building revenue and delivering services in tandem with other companies.

Within Van Dyck this meant supplying the UK flooring industry with an acoustic underlay manufactured from rubber crumb as a result of the recycling from sister company Mathe Group. Mathe recycles truck tyres, breaking down the rubber to crumb and recycling the steel and Van Dyck converts the crumb into acoustic underlays used under soft and resilient flooring and acoustic cradles used in the built environment to eliminate variations in the structural floor surface and to accommodate services. Both products effectively reduce noise while being environmentally beneficial.

New plant

In 2015 Van Dyck recycled approximately 40,000 truck tyres. This would increase to 150,000 with the new plant and the company was negotiating to divert the recycled steel to either a Germiston-based foundry or exported to South Korea for use in the shipbuilding industry.

Zarrebini says leadership must be shown from company directors in order to be effective in changing a company’s environmental approach and developing a low carbon economy. The current economic system had placed substantial pressure on the planet while only catering to the demands of 25% of its inhabitants.

“Companies have to develop innovative solutions, but that will only happen when executives recognise the simple truth that sustainability equals innovation,” Zarrebini says.

Their initiatives had resulted in a 2.8% reduction in direct costs applied to company facilities and vehicles, 30% reduction in electricity and steam purchased and 12.2% reduction in environmental elements. This included purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel and energy related activities, exports and distribution, waste generated from operations, business travel and employee commuting.