12.07.2021
In April 2021, Alfa Laval announced a new partnership with Stena Recycling. Its goal is to introduce a breakthrough business model, increasing the share of closed-loop products in the supply chain of heat exchangers. The inspiration for cooperation is the Circular Initiative, an arena for business cooperation in the field of circular economy conducted by Stena Recycling. Entitled ‘Re-Made to matter’, the new initiative will enable the replacement of the heat exchanger with a more energy-efficient one. Additionally, it will allow you to refund the old one, which will then be recycled. Both companies revealed that the swap program will be launched this week in Sweden with other countries joining soon.
“It is a win-win for our customers, society, and the environment,” says Fredrik Ekström, president of the brazed and bonded heat exchanger division at Alfa Laval, Energy Division. “By incentivizing the reimbursement of the cost of upgrading plate heat exchangers to more modern and efficient ones, companies can significantly reduce their energy consumption. In one recent example, we calculated that replacing one 20-year-old heat exchanger could result in annual energy savings of 83,000 kWh. improving long-term costs, this means a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.”
“And this is just the beginning of our sustainability efforts,” continues Fredrik Pettersson, Managing Director of Stena Recycling Sweden. “When we receive the returned heat exchanger from the customer, we start the recycling process to recover the metals and reintroduce them into the raw material supply chain, providing environmental benefits by reducing the need for virgin materials. By working together in this way, we can help close the loop and create a truly effective circular approach for this industry.“
Unique industry model
To enable these sustainability benefits, companies have developed a completely new business model for the HVAC industry. In addition to helping to decarbonise by increasing energy efficiency, the program is designed to accelerate the transition from a linear supply chain to a sustainable, circular.
“In a traditional linear supply chain, the end of a heat exchanger’s life cycle means the end of the life of the precious natural resources it consists of,” explains Fredrik Ekström. “With this program, our partners at Stena Recycling can recover up to 100% of metals from customers’ old heat exchangers, thereby minimizing the consumption of virgin materials for the production of our new heat exchangers.“
The process is as follows:
- potential customers visit the Alfa Laval website. There, a new intuitive online tool provides recommendations for retrofitting a heat exchanger based on their current model
- the customer receives a refund in advance corresponding to the recycling value of his old heat exchanger
- the old heat exchanger is sent to Stena Recycling, where the metals are recovered
- recycled material is reprocessed, re-wound and re-enters the supply chain. All this to potentially become a new, energy-saving heat exchanger
Image change begins at home
To highlight the many benefits of the exchange program, Alfa Laval and Stena Recycling launched an initiative called “Re-Made to matter”. The first country in which customers will be able to participate in the program is Sweden, where both companies are based.
“Alfa Laval and Stena Recycling are two leading innovators in their respective fields, and our organizations have deep roots in Sweden,” adds Fredrik Ekström. “We are very excited to bring Re-Made to matter here in the country. We look forward to showing customers in Sweden, and ultimately worldwide, the strength of our experience and passion for sustainability. a step towards circularity in heating and cooling. It is also an important step in the fight against climate change in our industry. It supports Alfa Laval’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. “
The rest of the Nordic region will soon join Sweden and be able to participate. It is planned to introduce the program to other markets during the year.
To learn more about the partnership and Re-Made to matter exchange program, visit the Alfa Laval Re-Made to matter website. Information about the program in Swedish can be found at www.alfalaval.se/remade