Sustainability Pledge
Recycling is sustainable, but sustainability is much more.
Sustainability has always been a large part of what we do and who we are.
That is why we are taking a stance on sustainability by telling the story of what it means to us.
Our conviction
Sustainability has always been a large part of who we are. PPE has been committed to various aspects of sustainability since the company was founded in the 1990s. Today, the word sustainability has become a different animal, politically charged, polarizing, often misunderstood, and misused.
We want to take a stance on sustainability by sharing our interpretation, what it means to us and how we aim to make a difference on a global scale. Like our core values – human focus, professionalism, entrepreneurship, and humility – our sustainability pledge is at the heart of our company, striving to reach a balance between people, the environment, and business.
In other words, we are making a promise to our employees, customers, suppliers, and everyone who is a part of our company’s ecosystem. Together, we will make an impact through our sustainability principles: recycling excellence, environmental footprint, and social impact.
– the PPE family
Our sustainability principles
Recycling excellence
Giving waste a second life, that is how it all started for PPE. When we saw the potential of discarded products, we pioneered mobile recycling. Today, as one of the leading mobile plastics recyclers, PPE continues to push the boundaries in recycling technologies and applications.
European waste management has evolved in recent years from simple waste management to a circular economy based on the 2008 Waste Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC, 19/11/2008). Waste prevention, reduction of air pollution, use of photovoltaic systems for self-sufficient production, electric charging stations for e-cars etc… leave an important mark on the image of today's waste management industry.
Environmental footprint
In a world where natural disasters and animal extinctions are all too common, we need to do our part by minimizing our footprint on our planet.
We have set ambitious decarbonization targets and we measure our carbon footprint to track our progress.
We will continue to improve our energy efficiency and implement the use of renewable energy. Furthermore, we focus on limiting our waste streams. PPE has recently developed together with a German supplier an installation to agglomerate all HDPE dust generated by own grinding – and washing process.
The ecological and economic benefits of “Mobile Regrinding of Plastics” have always been PPE's business focus. The mobile grinding of crates, wheely bins, pallets, etc. makes it possible to process discarded products immediately at the time of seizure. The positive carbon footprint is significantly affected by the reduction in CO2 tax, up to 20% compared to transport without reduction.
Providing high-quality, reusable raw materials, preserving the environment and its natural resources, and reducing the CO2 burden of freight traffic have been our core objectives since the beginning.
Social impact
Giving back to the community has always been embedded in PPE’s DNA. We organize and support philanthropic initiatives in the local communities in which we are present. With the intention to encourage employees to actively engage in community development, together with our employees we initiate projects, small and large, to foster a better environment for all – from planting trees and installing beehives, to supporting electric mobility and cleaning up waste. We focus on initiatives with tangible impact and a long-term effect. The ambition is that all initiatives are cross generation, with groundbreaking and/or incremental changes on our planet.
To our own employees we have the responsibility to create a trusted and healthy place to work. We want to equip & develop them well with the right tools, equipment, and processes. We strive for a safe, collaborative environment that incorporates ethical behavior, caring for each other’s well-being, and respect for all aspects of diversity