Tech4Home commits to phasing out plastic packaging

Wireless remote-control specialist Tech4home has launched Green22, a company-wide initiative aiming at reducing its ecological footprint.

The strategy, which involves partnerships with selected customers, includes using recycled plastic materials and environmentally friendly solutions for packaging.

Citing a forthcoming EU directive banning the use of plastic plates, drinking straws and other disposable plastics as inspiration, the company said it had started to examine the packaging used for shipping the company’s products worldwide.

The EU single use plastics ban directive, adopted by the Commission earlier this year, sets out measures including a ban on selected single-use products made of plastic for which alternatives exist on the market, measures to reduce consumption of food containers and beverage cups made of plastic and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes covering the cost to clean-up litter.

Tech4Home has set up a dedicated team within Tech4home to implement actions from its new sustainability strategy.

To adopt the EU directive and avoid the use of disposable plastic materials, the company is currently working on ABS recycled material to be used in the ABS plastic parts of the remote-control packaging.

The remote specialist is also experimenting with alternative packaging materials like sugar cane that are fully biodegradable and can be decomposed by the action of living organisms like bacteria or fungi.

“We believe that today a business strategy has to be based on sustainable thinking to remain viable in the long term. Therefore, you have to change from a linear to a circular economy. For us, the circular economy is a true trigger for innovation that requires a completely new generation of materials. What’s more, we also have to think about changing our development and production processes. Therefore, you have to change from a linear to a circular economy. For us, the circular economy is a true trigger for innovation that requires a completely new generation of materials. What’s more, we also have to think about changing our development and production processes,” said Miguel Oliveira, managing director at Tech4home.

“Our customers fully support our efforts to protect the environment and to work on ecologically-friendly packaging materials. It’s their valuable input that allows us to validate the different solutions and find the best one to suit our and their business needs.”