Sustainability
Mälarplast’s sustainability efforts are part of our business strategy – to be Sweden’s greenest plastics company. With both the UN’s and Sweden’s environmental goals as a starting point, we are working on continuous environmental improvements in order to contribute to reduced environmental impact and a sustainable society.
Our environmental responsibility
Mälarplast supplies technical plastic solutions to customers all over the world. Plastic is a vital material and used in the right way can be the most resource-efficient and environment friendly material.
Some examples:
- Thermoplastics can be recycled and become new plastic products.
- The amount of energy consumed in the entire production process is lower than for many alternative materials.
- The material enables weights to be lower in items such as packaging and vehicles, which over the lifecycle of a product results in reduced net emissions of carbon dioxide
The environmental work that we conduct has an effect on both us as a company and our customers. Therefore, by complying with legislation and other requirements through actively working on environmental issues to make constant improvements, we are
minimising negative effects on the environment that could be caused by our business. Supporting our customers’ product development by focusing on environmental improvements from a lifecycle perspective is part of our unique customer offer. We are particularly passionate about using recycled and bio-based plastics. Today, the amount of bio-plastic we process corresponds to more than 30% of our total volume.
Environmental adaptations in our production
We always strive to reuse and recycle as much production waste as we can. This, of course, also applies to the waste heat generated by the production process, which we currently use to heat our property. Thanks to accumulator tanks and heat exchangers, we take care of most of our heating needs without the need for added energy consumption.
Plastic processing takes a lot of energy – which is why, in 2018, we invested in a photovoltaic system that now covers our roofs. The system generates approximately 120 MWh per year, which means that around 10% of our electricity consumption is now locally produced direct from the sun. In 2024, we installed a battery storage to help improve our use of solar power even more.
We also require our partners and suppliers to work actively on environmental issues.
Social responsibility and work environment
In order to meet the high standards expected by our customers as well as our own organisation, we need to have a safe, creative and stimulating work environment that both develops the company’s business operations and makes use of the skills and experience of our workforce.
The wellbeing of our staff is a top priority and we work continuously to make improvements in health and safety and the work environment. The atmosphere at work should be characterised by a sense of belonging, participation and collaboration.
Mälarplast complies with the current Systematic Work Environment Management (AFS 2001:1) provisions. A work environment policy has been developed and coordinated with our other policy and target documents.
Top management always has the overall responsibility for the work environment. Some of this responsibility can be delegated to a level where it can be monitored and managed more easily. Work on the work environment is a natural part of our business.
Focus on staff
Our staff are our strength and the different qualities, skills and backgrounds of every employee contribute to making Mälarplast a workplace where there is breadth in terms of age, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We know that equality in the workplace contributes to a good business climate, increased productivity and profitability. Therefore we make every effort to have a working group that is characterised by diversity
We have a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and violation of human rights.
High quality targets
Our services and competitiveness are based on the right quality, great flexibility and high levels of service as well as meeting deadlines. By constantly improving our business, we strive to fulfil the demands, expectations and needs of our customers.
Constant improvement is about us continuously and constantly trying to get better, even if we already meet requirements. Some examples of our methodologies are:
• Continuously analysing the waste from our processes and working to reduce variation and spread
• Working with the LEAN 5S principles
• Working with various statistical quality tools for analysing things such as MSA and SPC
• Working with more preventive and exploratory maintenance
• Maintaining an advanced production facility with competent staff
• Comply to ISO-standards
Documents
Mellanrum
We will help you to switch to circular flows
Choosing the best material for your product can be a difficult task. Many plastics producers work with just a few types of materials.
At Mälarplast we have a thorough understanding of bio-based and compostable materials, plastic recycling and the circulation of plastic materials.
With our detailed knowledge of materials, we can offer our customers the right product made using the right materials – making the product not just greener but also safer and more sustainable.
