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How sustainable are motion plastics?
We at igus produce components made of high-performance plastics that are optimised for moving applications. Plastic is a much-discussed material, but our motion plastics can help protect resources and the environment. We are aware of our responsibility towards the environment and society, and we have therefore made this a focus of our entrepreneurial activities. Our goal is to be carbon neutral across the group by 2040 at the latest.
At our headquarters in Cologne, we already operate production and office space in a climate-neutral manner in accordance with Scope 1 and 2 by using green electricity, green gas and energy-efficient measures. To achieve the comprehensive goal throughout the group and for all three scopes, we have divided it into short, medium and long-term goals. Our specific measures are described in detail on the following page:
On this page, we show you how sustainable our motion plastics are: to do this, we look at the plastic in our products in three phases. We also introduce you to special product innovations, exciting projects and our path in relation to sustainability:
Before: Production of plastic
Environmental and climate certification
It is our aim to achieve continuous improvements in our environmental and energy management. We are committed to a sustainable corporate strategy with regard to ecological, economic and social aspects. We have summarised these in our energy and environmental policy.
During: Plastics in use
Lubrication-free
Worldwide, 27 million tonnes of grease contaminate the environment each year. Our high-performance plastics provide an alternative here, as they do not require lubrication. Eliminating lubricants reduces the environmental impact and energy consumption during manufacture. Our lubrication-free motion plastics therefore have a smaller CO2 footprint and contribute to more sustainable production. Make your machines and equipment lubrication-free too - GO ZERO Lubrication!
After: Plastics after their use
Sustainable innovations
Resource conservation projects and initiatives
We plant new trees around the world
Our tree planting activities began in 2019 as Christmas gifts for customers and since then have grown into a large number of reforestation projects. We have planted a total of 76,280 trees to date, not just in Germany but worldwide. From saplings to large urban trees, we plant and care for trees and bushes in small and large campaigns. By creating new tree-growing areas, we want to help reduce the CO2 load in the atmosphere and achieve our self-declared goal of CO2 neutrality.
Green car park at the igus headquarters in Cologne
Future-proof, innovative and a real eye-catcher: The new car park at igus in Cologne is an absolute focal point with its all-year-round green facade. Across a total green area of 1,015m², over 70 plants per square metre create a pleasant atmosphere and shine in full bloom and lush leaf splendour in summer. The facade greening was designed by the global market leader Sempergreen and is one of the most flexible systems on the market, with numerous sustainable benefits: retention of rainwater, increase in biodiversity due to a potential habitat, reduction of noise pollution, increase in well-being for customers and employees as well as a theoretical CO2 compensation of 3 tonnes per year. Another highlight: In addition to the 484 car parking spaces, 22 of which have charging stations for electric vehicles, the multi-storey car park also has 83 bicycle parking spaces, inviting people to cycle to work in an environmentally friendly way.
Partnership with the Cologne Climate Declaration
In December 2024, igus joined the Cologne Climate Declaration and is working with the other partners to achieve climate neutrality in the city of Cologne by 2035. With this step, we are reaffirming our commitment to sustainable business practices and supporting urban climate protection measures. Felix Hülder, Lean Engineer Green Production at igus, on the new partnership: "As a company, we are currently working on developing a holistic plan both for the Cologne site and worldwide, which includes a plan of action including an overarching strategy to become climate-neutral."
Climate-neutral shipping with UPS
On 1 January 2024, we at igus Germany made our shipping more sustainable and introduced a new shipping option: "UPS Carbon Neutral Shipping". Since then, we have been shipping climate-neutrally with UPS and the CO2emissions generated by our shipments are offset. This is achieved through recognised, global projects to reduce greenhouse gases, e.g. through the protection of the rainforest in Brazil, wastewater treatment in Thailand or methane recovery in the Netherlands.
Plastic Fischer - against plastic waste in rivers
8 to 12 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year, mostly via rivers. Plastic Fischer starts right here and collects the rubbish in the rivers, which is more cost-effective than fishing in the sea. How does the project work? Local people use special devices to fish the rubbish out of rivers and receive a regular income in return. The collected plastic waste, which is mostly classified as non-recyclable, is forwarded to thermal treatment plants and incinerated with energy recovery. igus financed the collection of a total of 10,000kg of plastic waste, creating regular employment for at least 34 people in Kanpur and Mangalore, India, with additional helpers joining on some days.
Rhine Octopus ("Rheinkrake") – igus supports a floating waste trap
Every day, 1,000kg of waste floats across the Rhine into the North Sea. That is an enormous amount. K.R.A.K.E., a Cologne-based association ("Krake" is the German word for octopus) has been collecting rubbish in and around the Rhine for years. It took a big step forward in September 2022 with its floating waste trap. Waste floating on the surface drifts into the London-style passive trap. The Rhine trap is regularly emptied by the association members and the waste is recorded on land. The waste is scientifically evaluated in cooperation with the University of Bonn as part of a long-term study on plastic waste in the Rhine. igus supports the project and uses the plastic waste for recycling in its own production.
Our path to sustainability
In the brochure "Our path to sustainability", we give you an overview of our measures and progress on the various aspects of sustainability. We show you what we pay attention to when developing our materials and products in order to make them more sustainable. In a major study, we have broken down the hidden costs of lubrication and show you how much you can save with our lubrication-free products. We also present two exciting projects: our chainge programme for the recycling of technical plastics and our plastic bicycle RCYL.
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