Circular economy

Riwald Recycling & circular entrepreneurship

Circular entrepreneurship & Riwald Recycling

The contours of our business strategy lie in the Circular Framework and Trias Energetica. Circular Framework and Trias Energetica.

We link our sustainability strategies to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we integrate innovative technologies for maximum raw material efficiency.

Koper recycling product non ferro eindproduct circulaire economie

Circular Framework

Our business strategy originated from the combination of the Trias Energetica philosophy and the 3R philosophy, the predecessor of the 9R philosophy. The 3R philosophy is based on Recover, Reuse and Recycle of valuable ferrous ((steel, cast iron, stainless steel, with iron (Fe) as the main component)) and non-ferrous (aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, bronze, brass, all materials with another main component). Due to our efficient operations, in-house production process and geographic locations, Riwald Recycling occupies a prominent place in the recycling industry within the Netherlands and the rest of the world, both in the context of competitiveness and capacity. Our goal is to become a "circular hub" where all flows come together in our ecosystem - transforming complex products into pure raw materials and transporting these materials via a sustainable way to companies in the manufacturing industry. As result, the economy would run on recovered raw materials and ‘new’ raw materials would not be needed.

Trias Energetica

With the Trias Energetica philosophy, the energy-efficient approach of Riwald Recycling is realized in the following three steps: 1) we limit the energy demand as much as possible; 2) we use renewable energy where possible; and 3) we meet the residual demand for energy as efficiently as possible with the help of fossil sources. Riwald Recycling continuously invests in a green future and makes use of a unique high-tech granulator in combination with linked separation technologies for maximum raw material efficiency. In addition, Riwald Recycling uses electric shears and cranes which are environmentally friendly, fuel-saving and noise-reducing. In combination with our sustainable transportation means, Riwald Recycling is one of the most innovative (metal) recycling companies within Netherlands and the rest of the world.

Aluminium trias energetica

Innovation in core technology

The PBL has mapped out the circular economy in the Netherlands with an inventory. The inventory consists of activities that (can) reduce the use of primary raw materials in the economy. The strategies as defined on the circularity ladder (R-ladder), such as refuse, reduce, repair and recycle, have been taken as the starting point for this. Based on our business strategy, consisting of the combination of the Trias Energetica philosophy and the 3R philosophy, Riwald Recycling invests in the latest developments, (separation and sorting) techniques, machines and equipment with the aim of processing materials to the same high quality.

Thanks to our high-tech granulator in combination with our high-tech equipment – ​​double scrap shears, eddy currents, drum screens, wet separation tables, Infrared (NIR), X-Ray, metal sensors, NF fines processing and color sortings - we enhance raw material efficiency, resulting in that no 'new' raw materials are needed anymore, whereby materials are processed to the same high quality. The economy would then run on recovered raw materials and no 'new' raw materials would not be needed.