TEXTILES.ORG
HUESKER launched the world’s first geogrid made from 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). With the introduction of the new ecoLine, the company is focusing on even more environmentally friendly solutions that conserve natural resources during production and offer the same quality as their conventional counterparts. The market launch starts with the HaTelit C asphalt reinforcement grid, which has been established on the market for more than 40 years and is used for the rehabilitation of asphalt pavements. It is now available in the ecoLine range, is the same high quality with the same product properties. Other ecoLine products are to follow soon.
“The responsible and careful use of energy and resources is part of our sustainability strategy and is predominant throughout the entire value chain,” said Dr. F.- Hans Grandin, managing director of the HUESKER Group.
“In addition, it has always been our aim to replace conventional construction methods with the use of innovative products and applications made of geosynthetics where they are a better alternative due to their many positive properties in terms of quality, safety and reliability and especially sustainability,” added Sven Schröer, also managing director of HUESKER.
The recycled material is produced from disposed PET bottles, which can be fed back into the production cycle in the form of granulate.
“The recycled PET we use is an equivalent substitute for the original PET yarn. It has the same high quality and the same properties,” said Schröer.
This was the prerequisite for the product launch of the eco version in order to be able to cover the full range of applications of the classic HaTelit C and at the same time offer a resource-saving alternative. For comparison: every kilogram of recycled PET yarn saves around 4.3 kg of CO2 emissions if conventional PET yarn is avoided. This corresponds to a car journey of 33 km (passenger car with emissions of 130 g equivalent CO2/km). Extrapolated to the production of geotextiles the size of a soccer field (7,140 m2), about 1,200 kg of CO2 are saved, which corresponds to a distance of 42,000 km by car.
HUESKER geotextiles are used worldwide in a wide variety of projects. These include earthworks and foundations engineering, roads and pavements construction, hydraulic engineering, environmental engineering and mining. They often carry enormous loads, are exposed to heavy stress and must perform to high standards in their fields of application, such as slope protection, sealing for groundwater protection, flood protection or reinforcement in road construction. In order to maintain the high quality and reliability, HUESKER products are subjected to regular quality controls and qualified monitoring of the entire production process by our in-house accredited laboratory as well as external monitoring by official material testing institutes.
“We test our products very carefully. They are only made available to the market when all the necessary evidence has been provided and they meet our high requirements. As is the case with the recycled PET yarns we use,” Schröer said. “HaTelit C eco is the first step. We are aware of our responsibility and will continue our ecoLine with further products in the near future.”