Why aren't Leo Laine's plastic products part of this picture?
One of the guiding factors in choosing a thermoplastic should be the promise of a long life cycle – a well-designed product made of plastic that is optimized for its intended use will last a long time without breaking or losing its properties. Another important feature of plastic for us is recyclability, which means the possibility of disposing of a discarded product without causing an additional burden on the environment.
Lokari reuses or recycles all plastic material used in its own production. The share of recycled material in the products we manufacture is on average about 30%, but the product can be made, for example, entirely from recycled material if the customer so wishes.
Our recycling system can be roughly divided into two parts: the reuse of so-called clean plastic material and the delivery of floor rubbish for reuse. The clean pieces of plastic sheet recovered directly from the cutting process are crushed in efficient mills and returned to the extrusion process to remake the plastic sheet from them. This share covers about 95 percent of our plastic by-products. The rest, about 5%, is so-called floor grit, which is carefully collected in big bags and delivered through our partner network for washing and recycling.
We carefully distinguish between plastic grades and significant colors. Metal detectors installed in the conveyor equipment prevent harmful foreign objects from entering the gravel. In our own sheet production process, we only use the crumb generated as a by-product of our own production. This way we can ensure the high quality of the raw material, the board and the end products.
Our goal is responsible, environmentally friendly and safe operations and management. In line with the principles of sustainable development, we strive to secure sufficient resources for future generations as well. We are committed to continuously improving our operations in terms of quality, the environment, health and safety, and well-being at work. In our operations, we adhere to ethical principles, laws and regulations, as well as the company’s values.
ISO 9001 is internationally the best-known quality management standard which aims to consistent, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. ISO 9001 certification has a remarkable role in the sustainable business performance of Leo Laine Oy because, by decreasing mistakes, we create competitive advantages for our customers. The certificate was granted for us for the first time in 1998.
ISO 14001 is internationally the best-known environment system standard. The system ensures that the environmental requirements related to operational efficiency, improvement, legislation and regulatory control are filled. By continuous improvement we have better control in managing our emissions. We recycle more efficiently and are able to decrease our environmental burden, when taking into account also the environmental impacts of the product during its life cycle. As we control resources, we increase the energy efficiency, which improves our competitiveness in the market. The certificate was granted for Leo Laine in 2020.
ISO 45001 is the health and safety system standard, that requires the organization to recognize and evaluate health and safety related risks, and to comply with the legal requirements. Its aim is to minimize health and safety risks to personnel and other possible parties. This is managed by working systematically to improve health and safety issues and to prevent accidents and dangerous situations. The certificate was granted for us in 2020.