The mission is to produce more, using fewer resources. Reduced consumption, waste recycling, reorganisation of logistics, innovative products, process optimisation and digitalisation. These are the areas RENOLIT has been working on for the past ten years, solidifying its commitment to sustainability, while increasing production by 127% compared to 2009.

From 2009 to the present, RENOLIT is a benchmark in the manufacture of membranes for waterproofing membranes with its RENOLIT ALKORPLAN range, Executing a change of pace in terms of sustainability.

This has led the company increasing productivity by over 127% while reducing the use of resources. All this has been done by introducing practical measures aimed at saving energy and reducing consumption but also by investing in technology and digitalisation, to reduce waste and the CO2 emissions caused by road transport.

At present, as much as 8,500 tons per year of pre-consumer material is recycled by RENOLIT. This marks +100% of material recovered in the past eight years with 8% of the workforce engaged in processes and in developing a new recycling plant in Sant Celoni.

The data demonstrates how the company is now fully committed to the process of circular economy, with the awareness that what was once traditionally considered to be waste can now become a resource. This approach is also confirmed by the initiative RENOLIT goes circular, which aims to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes while avoiding waste and increasing the recovery of waste materials.

Consumption compared to 2009 has significantly reduced, with increased production of 127%, 20% less electricity, 35% less water resources and 38% less gas is used for every square metre of membrane produced.

The data on transport optimisation is also worthy of note, with more direct deliveries avoiding triangulation through warehouses and with the shift from road to rail, for a percentage that from 30% in the past, now reaches 60%. A significant figure given that, according to Freight on Rail, the transport of goods by rail produces 76% less CO2 emissions compared to the same journey with heavy goods vehicles.

This commitment also involves the offer made to the market of cutting-edge products, such as RENOLIT ALKORPLAN. With a thickness of just 1.2 mm, it guarantees exceptional durability with the use of fewer resources, thanks to its exclusive Solar Shield technology.

Juan Porquera, Financial Director of RENOLIT WATERPROOFING
says “In order to change the paradigm and shift to a sustainable economy, collective commitment is needed. We need a change of approach at the general industrial policy level and an innovative business model, where the optimisation of resources and processes, the commitment to Research & Development, lean manufacturing and digitalisation are all on the agenda. Sustainability also means making a cultural change that develops not only executive skills in collaborators, but also planning, control, maintenance and adaptation to innovation."

To achieve these aims, RENOLIT, thanks to the drive of Production Manager José Antonio Pallas, has long since adopted the Kanban method, to define the quantity and type of solutions to be produced for each established working group, thus eliminating production process planning. The first benefit to be created is a reduction in overproduction, since only what is required is produced, at the time and in the quantities needed, thus eliminating downtime and maintaining order, cleanliness and safety. Lean Manufacturing means less waste, less scrap and more speed.

Pallas explains: “We already apply the so-called SMED method - Single Minute Exchange of Die - as part of the company's lean production process, with the aim of reducing set-up times, that is, the downtime when there is a change in production. These investments raise the professionalism of each of us and our well-being in the workplace. We must understand that there is always a better way to do things than in the past. This is the secret for those of us who are committed to making industrial production sustainable."