ment® recycles

We cracked the recycling code

We make the best possible use of resources. In our production, we always aim to get the most out of our raw materials - and minimize waste. For ment®, it is a matter of course to reuse leftover material that has not been burned. In addition, we invest heavily in targeted projects to reduce waste and increase the sorting rate throughout our value chain. At the same time, we know that the biggest sustainability impact for our industry is circular production, where discarded products can be reused.
That's why we've always wondered:

- How can we recycle broken porcelain into a resource?

- And where can we find the answer to the challenge?

Since its establishment, ment® has been asking itself and the world around it these questions. Eventually, we simply had to tackle the challenge on our own. After huge investments in money, time and resources, we have finally shattered - literally - the perception that broken porcelain cannot be recycled into new products.

In collaboration with Sintef, one of Europe's largest independent research institutes, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of our products and production.
There, we discovered that broken porcelain was an energy and waste challenge as there were no solutions for recycling the material.

This inspired us to go further: How can we reuse crushed porcelain in production? Countless kilos of crushing, painting and sifting our own scrap products later, and a close collaboration with the Portuguese ceramics and glass institute CTVC (Centro Tecnológico Cerâmica e Do Vidro), we finally got the answers we were hoping for.

CTCV has tested the reused ment® -material, and the mechanical flexural strength tests shows that recycled ingredients provide the same strength as new material.
This provides completely new opportunities for sustainable recycling of porcelain.

- Joaquim Valente de Almeida, CTCV

DEPOSIT

We take responsibility for the products we have created ourselves and are introducing a deposit scheme at Fåberg. Now our customers can return broken ment® products to us - so that we can process and reuse the material.

The return scheme only applies to ment® products, because we must ensure the quality and ensure that the composition of minerals is 100% ment®.