"If you want to be fit for the future as a company, you have to focus on sustainability."

From the life cycle to the protection of resources: An interview with Peter Oswald, Managing Director of BENTELER Glass Processing Equipment, about the importance of sustainability in mechanical and plant engineering.

Dear Mr. Oswald, sustainability is an important topic of our time - or is it just a passing trend that will soon level off again?

No, definitely not. Resource scarcity and climate change present us with challenges that we have to address in the long term and with perseverance. This has less to do with trends than with necessities. If you want to be fit for the future as a company, you have to focus on sustainability. We at BENTELER Glass Processing are absolutely convinced of this.

How does BENTELER Glass Processing Equipment's commitment to sustainability look in concrete terms? Can you give us some examples?

We support our customers in operating sustainably by designing machines and solutions that protect the climate and resources. In addition to CO2 savings, for example, we have always focused on a long life cycle for machines and systems while maintaining high productivity. This is something that quickly convinced our customers, of course. What's more, the sustainable cycle concept also extends to the end of our machines, as they are made of around 80 percent steel, ten percent aluminum and ten percent other materials. They are therefore fully recyclable. We also ensure that resources are used sparingly, and this applies to both energy and water. Through intelligent process design, our flat glass washing machines, for example, use the water fed into them in a well thought-out water cycle. This reduces the amount of fresh water required for cleaning.

Is glass itself a material with a future in a sustainable world?

Absolutely! Glass lasts almost forever, is energy-efficient and can be recycled an infinite number of times - the latter, by the way, consumes less energy than the production of new glass. In addition, many of the forward-looking, sustainable technologies are based on the use of glass: from photovoltaics and solar thermal energy to so-called smart glasses and low-emission glass in buildings. Manufacturers from this sector are now among our regular customers.

I think the innovative use of glass will make a good contribution to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Do you also notice a change in awareness among your customers? Does the sustainability factor determine the selection of machines and plants?

Of course, there is this change on the customer side as well, it is a dynamic process. At BENTELER Glass Processing Equipment we are experiencing this very concretely: The importance of sustainability in the selection of machines and systems is increasing. As a machine manufacturer, we have a high level of responsibility in this area, as our plants and systems provide the framework for environmentally friendly production and processing. On the other hand, synergy effects are created: A long, sustainable life cycle and the saving of resources or raw materials - this is of course also of great interest to users.

More about our sustainability strategy at www.benteler.com/en/sustainability/