Hanover, January 4, 2023 – Transilon ECOFIBER for more sustainability during conveying
As part of its sustainability strategy, Forbo Movement Systems is consistently forging ahead with the development of sustainable products and services. These innovative products also help users to improve their own energy efficiency and sustainability performance. Forbo Movement Systems has now succeeded in developing a conveyor and processing belt whose fabric tension member, made of recycled PET, saves primary raw materials.
Sustainable Belts with Fabric made of Recycled Plastic Bottles from Forbo Movement Systems Save on Carbon Emissions but Maintain Quality
Conveyor and processing belts with tension members made of recycled PET: Transilon ECOFIBER
Compared with the primary material, yarns made of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) save valuable raw materials, yet the quality is maintained. At the same time, the energy consumed to make them, and therefore carbon emissions, is much lower. First-class tension member fabric for fabric-based conveyor belts is made from these yarns. R-PET or rPET stands for recycled PET. This is a more sustainable version of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the plastic that’s mainly used for drinks bottles and for most of the tension member fabrics for the tried-and-true Transilon belts. For the new ECOFIBER conveyor belts, the belt manufacturer only uses fabric whose yarns are made of rPET.
The recycled material for the ECOFIBER yarns made of rPET is obtained from post-consumer drinks bottles. These are drinks bottles that have already been used, which are first sorted according to color, then thoroughly cleaned, and shredded after labels and caps have been removed. The resulting flakes are cleaned again, then melted and processed into pellets, which act as raw material for various types of yarn. The resulting rPET yarn is then woven into fabrics that serve as tension members for the Transilon ECOFIBER conveyor belts.
Much lower energy costs and carbon emissions thanks to the combination of two Forbo belt developments
Energy-saving Amp Miser™ belts have had a good track record for years in the tough environments that prevail at logistics centers and on baggage conveyors. The new generation, Amp Miser™ 2.0, with its enhanced tension member, achieves even lower friction coefficients between the undersides of belts and slider beds – even if these are galvanized. As a result, Amp Miser™ 2.0 conveyor belts can save up to 50% of the energy due to friction consumed by the conveyor. Forbo combines the benefits of Amp Miser™ 2.0 with the new ECOFIBER conveyor and processing belt. This results in less electricity consumption, much lower energy costs and fewer carbon emissions.
Sustainability session with experts
Using yarns made of recycled PET saves several tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. For example, based on just 30 Transilon belts, the potential saving per year is around 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide if only yarns made from recycled PET are used.
Forbo Movement Systems offers customers the opportunity to talk to experts about developing concepts for products that could be replaced by Transilon ECOFIBER.
