Today, 18 Marh, marks one of the most important environmental events on the year’s green agenda: World Recycling Day. An appeal to society in general that aims to emphasise the impact and importance of treating waste correctly in order to curb climate change and, by doing so, care for the environment. Astigarraga Kit Line joins the celebrations of World Recycling Day.

A date that we must face up to not just for one day, but as part of our daily lives. Recycling is everyone’s responsibility; of course, it is also the responsibility of companies. And that is why our routine is focused on reducing and generating less waste to reduce our carbon footprint, a habit that benefits our environment, our forests, nature and the planet. If you are not very familiar with the meaning of this concept, the carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that shows the greenhouse gases generated by an individual or a company’s activity.

Origin of World Recycling Day

The origin of World Recycling Day is unclear. Although it is unclear and somewhat indeterminate, it seems that the first initiative of this celebration was carried out by a group of environmentalists in the U.S. state of Texas in 1994. The objective was to raise awareness in society about one of the most essential practices for the future of humanity: recycling. Today is a good day to remember the three R’s rule of ecology: reduce, reuse and recycle.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) established World Recycling Day in 2005 with the aim we have already mentioned: to treat waste responsibly in order to protect the environment; and not only from the consumer’s position or point of view, but also from those of us who extract the raw material and transform it into a consumer good.

What do we do at Astigarraga Kit Line?

At Astigarraga Kit Line we manage 45,000 tons of pine trunk wood, of which we use 100%. Just as you read it: not a single gram of wood is wasted. Below, we tell you what this system consists of in order to maximise the use of our raw materials and minimise waste.

● Most of it we use to make our trestles and other furniture, such as shelves, bottle racks, boards, trunks or boxes. The use and recycling of this part of the trunk wood is as follows: slightly more than half is used for our products, and the rest for the production of chips and dry wood chips, which are used for the manufacture of pellets.

● Almost one-third is destined to make pulp for the paper industry and this is achieved through the manufacture of wood chips.

● We also keep a small portion for biomass generation andfor gardening, using pine bark. We have already told you on other occasions that the energy from the final and brief industrial drying of the wood boards comes from the burning of biomass obtained from all this surplus.

● And finally, a small portion of the wood goes to MDF and chipboard mills through sawdust production.

This is how all wood is used; even those parts that cannot be used for furniture, such as wood chips, sawdust and bark. This is also how we extract the maximum value and use of wood, promoting energy savings, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding waste generation. A circular economy model that is here to stay, a philosophy of doing things that leaves behind the now obsolete linear economy of ‘use and throw away’, and that advocates optimising resources by extending their useful life.

Cardboard 100% recycled

On the other hand, the cardboard we use to package the parts needed to assemble the furniture is produced from 100% recycled off-cuts and the shrink film we use is made from 50% recycled raw material. On the labels, it is correctly and efficiently indicated what the final consumer has to recycle by separating the plastic from the cardboard. In addition, all waste produced in the company is recycled via containers that are collected directly from the company.

At Astigarraga Kit Line we work to improve the spaces in which life takes place: the home, an office or a business. We are aware that the wood industry has a direct impact on the planet and it is our duty to minimise it. The wood we work with is locally sourced and rigorously controlled. The wood, harvested from our own sustainably managed forests, is double certified: PECF and Ecolabel. And, of course, Astigarraga Kit Line is committed to applying strict reforestation. Whatever happens, 100% of the forests will be regenerated and replanted with green. 

Reduce, reuse, recycle.