Geosynthetics April/May 2022 - 20

Geosynthetics and sustainability: How is our industry doing?
the January 2021 webinar, Vangeluwe
commented, " The higher responsibility,
the higher focus should be on the
environment and . . . climate change,
greenhouse effect and carbon emissions.
. . . This is our duty to find the right level
and the right approach to give them a
solution [that] is acceptable from all the
different angles, acceptable to the regulatory
bodies, acceptable for the customer
and acceptable to the manufacturer. "
So far as the financial motivations
for this, Vangeluwe said, " To investors,
sustainability metrics are as important as
financial metrics. "
When asked to predict the future for
geosynthetics in 10 years, Vangeluwe said,
" I think we could be highly sustainable,
by all means, from the source to the use
of the products, in all the applications. "
TRI/Environmental, led by Sam
FIGURE 5 This geotextile, used
in transportation/roadways, is
manufactured from recycled polyester
(PET) bottles. Photograph courtesy
Geofabrics Australasia Pty. Ltd.
Allen, has operated a program focused
on water conservation. The TRI program
was conceived to minimize water use as
well as to capture the " used " or gray water
for recycling and secondary uses. Water is
now recirculated when possible and when
not, reused for irrigation. This program
has been financially viable but also fits
TRI's sustainability goals.
During the webinar, Allen said, " We
are responsible for the minimal consumption
of the environment's resources
and products that we need. "
While all companies in the geosynthetics
arena are involved in waste reduction,
water and energy conservation, and
internal recycling, the leaders in use of
recycled feed streams are Geofabrics
Australasia Pty. Ltd. in Australia and
Kaytech Engineered Fabrics in South
Africa. Both companies produce continuous
filament polyester (PET) geotextiles
using primarily recycled feedstock,
principally from single-use PET bottles.
While PET is well suited, chemically,
for this type of conversion, this general
trend of using recycled feedstocks from
other sources to produce high-quality
geosynthetics must continue and expand
if geosynthetics are to reach a necessary
level of sustainable contributions. The
materials produced by these companies
meet the same performance and durability
requirements as those produced from
virgin (first-use) resins.
Both companies have expended
efforts in improving the incoming recycled
feedstock streams. Clearly a consistent
feedstock is necessary for good production
metrics as is attention to removal
of contamination. Clean, consistent recycled
feedstock make utilization easier,
and higher demand for recycled materials
supports collection and reprocessing
efforts. This chicken-and-egg issue must
be, and can be, overcome.
At Kaytech Engineered Fabrics,
located in Pinetown, KwaZulu Natal,
South Africa, more than 76.5 million recycled
PET single-use bottles are used annually
in the manufacturing of geotextiles.
The company converts these PET bottles
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Geosynthetics | April May 2022
Geosynthetics April/May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics April/May 2022
