Sustainability - Almet Benelux

Aluminium contributes to a sustainable society

Thanks to the unique combination of properties, aluminium is light, strong and durable. It’s also infinitely recyclable, which contributes to preventing the depletion of resources and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

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Socially responsible purchasing

RoHS

The Restriction of Hazardous Substances is about limiting the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. European Directive 2011/65/EU – also known as the RoHS Directive - came into effect in 2011. The current directive is a follow-up, classified as RoHS II. The Netherlands implemented RoHS II by launching the 'Regulation on hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment' in 2013:

The requirements are important if one or more of these substances occur in equipment: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs), and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

The European Commission has proposed adding four new substances to the RoHS. These are the plasticizers in plastic DEHP (bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), BBP (Butyl Benzyl phthalate), DBP (Dibutyl phthalate) and DIPB (di-isobytyl phthalate). These substances are common in PVC and are used for example in cables. The requirements set for these substances will take effect on July 22, 2019. For medical equipment, monitoring and measuring and control equipment, an effective date of July 22, 2021 applies.

Conflict Minerals

Almet Benelux supports the humanitarian goal of ending violence and human rights violations in the extraction of certain minerals from the Conflict Region. The Conflict Region is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring countries. The violence in the Conflict Region is partly funded by the exploitation of and trade in conflict minerals.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires disclosure of the use of conflict minerals as defined in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This law requires manufacturers to disclose any products they manufacture containing conflict minerals to the SEC. Conflict minerals are gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten from the Conflict Region. The US Secretary of State can also designate other minerals as conflict materials in the future.

CE mark

Factory documents, such as material certificates, often bear the CE mark. What exactly does this mean?

Many industrial product groups can only be traded in the European Economic Area (EEA) if they bear the CE mark. This mark indicates that the product meets legal requirements regarding health, safety, and the environment.

These requirements are laid out in 27 product-specific European directives and regulations. The product groups for which the CE mark is required include machinery, lifts, gas appliances, pressure equipment, personal protective equipment, medical devices, construction products, electrical and electronic equipment, pleasure craft, explosives, pyrotechnic items, and toys.

Sometimes a product falls under several directives that require the CE mark. Do you produce goods that are not covered by these guidelines? If so, you may not apply a CE mark.

De CE mark has two goals:

Promotion of the free trade of goods within the EEA.
Harmonization of EEA countries' legislation regarding product safety and health.

CE marked products can be traded freely throughout the EEA (all EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). National governments may not impose additional requirements. If the products do not meet European requirements, the CE mark is not allowed and the products may not be traded in the EEA.

Circular entrepreneurship

What is a circular economy?

The circular economy is an economic system intended to maximize the reusability of products and raw materials and to minimize value destruction, unlike the current linear system in which raw materials are converted into products that are destroyed at the end of their lifespan.

How the circular economy works

The circular system has 2 cycles of materials. A biological cycle, in which residual materials safely return to nature after use, and a technical cycle, for which product (parts) are designed and marketed so that they can be reused at a high quality level. This preserves their economic value as much as possible, and the system is therefore ecologically and economically "restorative".

Circular entrepreneurship and Almet Benelux

Of course, we contribute to this. In principle, we purchase the aluminium we process and market directly from producers. After processing and reworking, a waste stream is created in the form of chips and scrap. We collect the chips and scrap strictly, separating per alloy, and dispose of them through specialized waste processors. These specialized waste processors ultimately ensure that the chips and scrap are returned to the producers, after which they flow fully back into the production process. This means the aluminium has travelled a circular path, avoiding any destruction of this valuable material.

Aluminium Recycling

Aluminium is very valuable at every stage of its lifecycle, from production to the end of use, and it can be recycled endlessly while retaining material properties. Aluminium recycling requires around 5% of the energy needed to produce it from renewable materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95%. Using recycled aluminium reduces the need for primary aluminium and thus minimizes waste, prevents depletion of raw materials, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions during the product lifecycle.