As European companies work toward “net-zero” goals, many are realizing that their biggest carbon footprint comes from their supply chain. EcoCortec®, a producer of green corrosion protection packaging and Cortec’s European subsidiary, is offering a way to solve this with a closed-loop recycling system. This keeps plastic out of landfills and enables a full circular economy model.
For many industrial giants, the majority of their greenhouse gas emissions come from “Scope 3”, the indirect emissions associated with the transport and production of materials. Importing high-performance packaging from overseas adds thousands of miles of carbon-heavy freight to a product’s lifecycle. By manufacturing within the EU and by launching its recycling program, EcoCortec® provides a short-route alternative that cuts down on CO2 from transport. This offers a clear advantage for any business tracking its environmental impact. In addition to its recycling efforts, EcoCortec® has taken a massive step toward energy autonomy by becoming the first VCI plant in Europe to generate its own electricity from solar panels. This investment allows the facility to power its extrusion lines with renewable energy, directly reducing the carbon intensity of every roll of film produced. Both the instability caused by the geopolitical situation and high energy prices have influenced the company’s decision to utilize its own energy resources as much as possible. CorteCros® is another Cortec® facility that has embraced renewable energy. This logistics and manufacturing hub located near the coastal town of Split has its own solar power system installed. By using this system, CorteCros® is able to achieve energy cost savings as high as 97%. Solar panels provide a practical way to produce electricity for many applications, and this renewable energy system can provide power for upwards of three decades if properly maintained. “Cortec’s operations across Croatia, from the fields of Baranja to the Adriatic coast, operate under a unified green mandate. Together, our facilities provide a sustainable network for European distribution. As a company whose mission is to pioneer circular economy models within the corrosion protection industry, we wanted to make sure that our solutions are not only eco-friendly in their chemistry but also in the way they are manufactured and moved,” says Cortec’s CEO, Croatian-American entrepreneur Boris Miksic.
Closing the Loop: In-House Recycling and PCR Content
EcoCortec® is a leading European manufacturer of VCI/VpCI® films with state-of-the-art in-house recycling center. This facility allows for the immediate reprocessing of production scrap and used materials into high-quality resins. Through this vertical integration, EcoCortec® significantly reduces its reliance on virgin resins. By incorporating PCR content into products like VpCI®-126 PCR, the company lowers the carbon footprint of petroleum-based polymers and prevents waste from landfills, transforming it back into high-performance protective packaging. One of the most successful parts of Cortec’s recycling initiatives is a partnership with its German distributor, company Jakob Schober GmbH. This isn’t just a basic recycling plan; it’s a “closed-loop” system that actually works. Schober uses its existing truck routes to collect used VpCI® films from customers and transport them back to the EcoCortec® plant. Because these trucks would otherwise be returning empty, this process adds almost zero extra transport emissions. Once the old film arrives at the plant’s in-house recycling center, it is processed into high-quality recycled resin. This material is then used to create new films. Because recycling plastic uses 80% less energy than manufacturing new plastic from oil, this partnership creates a massive win for the environment.Through localized production, energy autonomy, and circular partnerships, Cortec® is providing the corrosion protection industry with the tools it needs to turn sustainability goals into reality. By integrating green technology directly into the supply chain, Cortec® Corporation is setting a new standard for performance, one that acknowledges we cannot completely eliminate environmental impact, but proves we can decrease it.
