Circular composites –
Turning excess material into new raw materials

We are committed to helping our customers minimize their carbon footprint and make their products more sustainable by making our production process circular. One example is how we reused our excess raw material and turned it into a new source of recycled plastic used in HL Display’s production.

At Diab, we aim to be the ESG leader of the industry, so we’re always looking for new innovative ways to recycle more materials and reduce waste, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. Most of the excess plastic material generated in our extrusion processes is recycled and reused as new raw material, although some can’t be regenerated.   

But while attending one of our owner company Ratos' Sustainability meetings, we found one ingenious way to reuse the excess material. Diab’s VP of Sustainability & QEHS, Per Hökfelt, and Senior Product & Sustainability Manager Jonas Marking at HL Display, a sister company under the parent Ratos Group, realized that Diab’s waste material could be used as a source of recycled plastic for HL Display’s factories.

From waste to raw material

The challenge was to find a solution that met all requirements on quality, quantity, availability, visual appearance, and low carbon footprint. Together with HL Display, we developed a method for transforming our excess plastic material into a high-quality product. HL Display conducted lab-, pilot-, and full-scale tests of the raw material in their production. They also developed a new product, Optimal™ black shelf divider, that fitted the new raw material and fine-tuned the prototype based on customer feedback.

Creating a valuable raw material out of our excess plastic took two years. As an example of how the Diab-sourced 100% recycled PET material benefits the planet, the 19 000 Optimal™ black dividers that organize the shelves at Billa in the Czech Republic saved about 3.2 tons of virgin fossil-based plastic.

The collaboration between Diab and HL Display is an excellent example of how we work as partners in finding circular solutions and how we are always trying to find new innovative ways and collaborations to minimize the industry’s climate footprint.

Want to find out more? Contact us here