SCHOTT solutions no. 2/2009 > Environmental Protection

More Green for the Future

SCHOTT is systematically expanding its ecological commitment by offering environmentally friendly products.

Christine Fuhr

Green is gaining ground, not only for ecological and environmental, but also for competitive and image reasons. Trend scouts are noticing a “greenobalization”, as well as growing environmental consciousness all over the world. One thing is clear: the mass production techniques of the past consume a lot of energy and resources and are under immense pressure to become more innovative. At the political level, directives and ordinances like the chemicals act REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), and EURO standards on cars and recycling of electronic devices for Europe are setting new environmental standards and thus accelerating the development of more environmentally friendly products.

Yet another environmental advantage: 98 percent of the shards are recycled. At the internal level, an Integrated Management System on Safety and Environmental Protection (IMSU) that ensures that the same standards for occupational safety, environmental protection, preventive healthcare and emergency management apply for SCHOTT sites all over the world has been around since 1995. These even exceed the legal requirements in some countries. In addition to developing more energy-efficient (melting) technologies, reducing energy consumption, resources and production-related emissions, manufacturing environmentally compatible products is receiving greater attention.

“Project Green” from the Research and Technology department at SCHOTT focuses specifically on assessing environmental policy regulations, such as REACH and RoHS (Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances). “We analyze current and future environmental legislation and requirements, anticipate their execution and evaluate them with respect to whether they can be realized in terms of technology and materials science,” explains project manager Dr. Jochen Alkemper. He says the goal is also to identify opportunities for green products and develop innovative green solutions that even exceed the legal requirements. By avoiding the use of raw materials that are harmful to the environment and doing without arsenic and antimony during the purification process, for example. Or by optimizing the production process by attempting to save energy. But also by pointing out limitations. The objective of this project is to act as a pioneer in the development of materials and processes that are as environmentally friendly as possible and thus encourage the development of these types of products.

The Optics division made the switch with respect to its line-up of optical glasses more than 10 years ago by introducing 66 glasses that contain neither lead nor arsenic. All of the glasses that have been developed since then are also free of both lead and arsenic. And lead-free materials are also being used in fiber optic applications in the dental field. In the area of Electronics & Biotech, many different thin glasses that contain either no or no more than the legally permissible levels of purification agents like arsenic and antimony are either under development or already on the market under the name “Eco-glass”: AF 32® eco, for instance, a non-alkaline thin glass for wafers, D263® T eco, a scratch-resistant filter glass for camera lenses in cell phones and touch sensitive screens that is free of hazardous substances, and D263® M eco as a cover glass for use in microscopy. Other eco-products are either under ­development or in the product pipeline in the areas of both fiber optics, as well as glass-ceramics for Robax® fireplace viewing panels. Here, a special infrared (IR) coating helps to achieve even more efficient combustion and lower emission levels in devices that are already far superior to open fireplaces.