KION and its brands strive to recycle and reduce waste

At Dematic's Dallas Distribution Center (DDC), is all about decreasing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. In recent years, the DDC has reduced its waste to landfill by 82 %. Before 2023, 100% of waste was disposed of in landfills. Today it is only 18%. The KION brand achieved this with targeted waste avoidance measures. For example, through a recycling program for aluminum and wood as well as a program for reusing pallets. Also, the wooden packaging inserts are reused. For the remaining cardboard and residual waste, compactors are used to compress the waste and preserve valuable landfill space. By implementing innovative recycling programs and implementing efficient waste management practices, DDC has become a shining example of environmental stewardship. DDC is ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified.

When the doors of LogiMAT at Messe Stuttgart closed on March 21, the starting signal was given for the reuse of the 612 square meter STILL trade fair stand. In line with its holistic sustainability strategy, STILL not only presented pioneering products with a reduced CO2 footprint at this year's leading trade fair for intralogistics, but also put its trade fair presence to the test in terms of consistent resource conservation. In order to ensure this to a high degree, STILL made sure when selecting its stand builder that it would reuse a large proportion of the materials for other trade fairs. And STILL went one step further: our KION brand was the first exhibitor at the trade fair to cooperate with the Leipzig-based start-up Trash Galore, which specializes in the professionally organized reuse of trade fair stands.

Materials such as wood, metal, floor coverings and textiles that are not suitable for reuse in trade fair or event construction are passed on by Trash Galore to charitable organizations in the region for further use. Around 650 kg of material from the STILL trade fair stand at LogiMAT was passed on to charitable organizations in the Stuttgart area, including more than 510 kg of textiles, 100 kg of wood and a good 40 kg of plastic. The cooperation has positive effects on several levels: Valuable resources were preserved and reused in the sense of a circular raw materials economy, over 5,000 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent were saved and at the same time the valuable work of four non-profit projects was supported in a practical and pragmatic way.

Sustainability plays an overriding role at the "Factory 2.0" in Pune: This facility stands as a beacon of environmental responsibility with its Zero discharge plant, ensuring no waste is released into the environment. Their commitment to water conservation is exemplary, with an independent water harvesting system that meets all their water needs. Moreover, a state-of-the-art water treatment plant allows for the recycling and complete utilization of groundwater. These initiatives not only reflect KION India's dedication to sustainability but also set a standard for others to follow.

As typical products of mechanical engineering, Linde MH’s industrial trucks consist of several hundred individual parts. Most of these are made from metal, but the trucks also include some plastic parts and a few parts made from composite materials. This makes the trucks easy to be refurbished in preparation for a second life. At Linde MH’s remanufacturing center in the Czech Republic, around 5,000 forklift trucks are refurbished every year and directly fitted with the latest additional features at the customer’s request. In China in 2022, Linde MH also became the first provider on the market to introduce forklift truck sharing as an innovative rental model for its customers. All customers need to access this service is an app. Both used and rental trucks create a win-win situation for the environment and for users, who directly receive a high-quality forklift truck that meets their needs at an affordable price.

Since the inception of the Xiamen plant, Linde Material Handling in China has made waste recycling and reuse a priority. This commitment involves the recycling and reuse of various waste materials generated during forklift production, such as scrap iron, used paint drums, foam pads and wooden crates, and waste oil. This helps save on the cost of purchasing new materials, while reducing waste and environmental impact. As the KION Group prioritizes the circular economy as a key sustainable development strategy, KION China's four forklift factories have expanded their recycling efforts to include used equipment, used cylinders, and fixture parts.

The employees of the Xiamen factory also established an environmental protection committee in 2017, which regularly organizes the collection and recycling of waste from the office areas, such as drinks bottles, cardboard, and plastics. They have also repurposed discarded containers and PVC pipes into an eco-awareness exhibit area for employees. Over the past seven years, a total of 1,532 people have participated in the sorting scheme for office waste at the Xiamen plant, resulting in 139 tons of recycled material. This commitment to waste recycling and reuse goes beyond KION China's four forklift factories in China. It extends to KION China's central workshops in several regions, as well as other factories in the Asia-Pacific region, all of which are actively involved in this initiative.

Meanwhile, since 2010, KION China has been taking back forklifts from short-term and long-term lease agreements. These forklifts undergo a thorough quality inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and repainting, before being sold on or returned to the rental market as used trucks.