Transforming waste materials into value

At Nolato Plastteknik a regrinding line was initiated in 2024, which converts plastic package/product waste into “regrinded” material. Production scrap are thus turned into valuable recycled materials that can be used in other production contexts, externally or within the Nolato Group/ across the Nolato entities. Some of the material is sold to and reused by the sister company Nolato Polymer for the manufacture of furniture products, where the regrinded raw material is remolded to become articles for an office chair that Nolato helps manufacture for its customer Kinnarps.  

Nolato is always working on identifying initiatives and value creation processes, focused on improving operations while being cost-effective and sustainability-oriented. In spring 2024, a technical team was tasked with exploring how Nolato could improve its approach and handling of the discarding of in-house produced products. In August 2024, a newly developed recycling line became operational, with initial tests being successful. 

“From the idea to being in operation, the project moved quickly. Thanks to strong internal support and a dedicated team, including operators who adopted new habits, we were able to make this new line an integral part of our operations seamlessly,” said Kadhim Al-Hajar, Project Engineer at Nolato Plastteknik. 

The regrinding  line involves inserting production scrap, specifically polypropylene, into a grinding machine, which grinds it into regrinded usable polymer raw material. The grinder is equipped with a metal detector, ensuring clean and safe grinding that results in refined, high-quality regrinded material. This material is then sold to other Nolato companies, like Nolato Polymer or external polymer converting manufacturers, for use in the production of new polymer products. At Nolato Polymer, the regrinded polymer raw material is remolded into new polymer articles, such as clamp plates, which are components used in the assembly of office chairs produced by Kinnarps. Since different colors of polymers are mixed in the grinder, the resulting regrinded polymer material is best suited for use in non-visible components of products, making it ideal for applications like the clamp plates hidden in chairs. 

“We are pleased that Kinnarps, like us, sees the value in using recycled material and has implemented it into its manufacturing. At Nolato, we aim to be able to support even more customers who are keen on utilizing this kind of recycled material in their manufacturing processes, and together we explore and identify opportunities within their design and manufacturing processes, thus helping to be innovative from a sustainability standpoint”, said Anders Höjman, Materials Engineer at Nolato Polymer.

As a global corporation, Nolato encourages collaboration among its companies by leveraging shared know-how, insights, and experience with the aim of increased innovation, sustainability, and ultimately creating value for its customers. Going forward, the Nolato Plastteknik is looking to scale up the regrinding line and develop new application areas for the recycled materials.

“This regrinding line shows that we have a hands-on approach to sustainability, tailoring internal solutions for recycling materials. It’s a good example of a success story of collaboration across sister companies, sustainable manufacturing and product design, as well as innovative thinking & ideation by our skilled employees. By having the regrinding line in-house and complete control over what goes through this grinding machine, we can guarantee that this granulate is of the highest quality. In fact, we call it "prime grind" to emphasize its superior quality. It is important to show the world that recycled material does not equal reduced quality and help inspire customers and other players in the industry on how we can rethink our resource use and develop sustainable and efficient recycling lines,” says Nicklas Andersson, Sales Manager at Nolato Plastteknik.