SPEAKER INTERVIEW

Mila Skokova, Deputy Sales Director, H & S Anlagentechnik GmbH

Can you tell us a about your role at H & S Anlagentechnik GmbH and what your responsibilities entail?

My role is very cross-functional. I coordinate our R&D department and support the research and development activities of H&S, which involve monitoring and managing the execution of projects as well as helping their accomplishment on time. Another part of my role is Product management, which I have been doing since 2011: the task arose from expanding companies’ portfolio in frames of sustainability to include recycling reactors. This is a product that is very closely linked to chemical know-how and since I was already involved in the interaction with the R&D department, it was a logical extension to my work.

Why is polyurethane recycling such an important topic for you and your team?

Polyurethane is not biologically degradable and rising PU waste can lead to severe environmental problems. Recycling helps to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills or incineration and can prevent such waste from polluting our environment. Our chemical recycling technology helps to gain valuable raw materials out of waste and create added value products, it helps to conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with production of PU raw materials and PU itself. Beside ecological effect there is tremendous economic benefit, companies can reduce their production costs by using recycled polyols instead of virgin ones, recycling creates jobs and generates revenue.

What innovative new trend or technology is particularly interesting for you currently?

As Eco-design is important for recycling it is the same important to us. In our case it aims to reduce the amount of PU waste generated by final products and make them easier to be recycled. Here are some reasons why eco-design is important for recycling of the PU:

• Designing for disassembly: Eco-design considers the end-of-life of a product and designs, so that it can be easily disassembled for recycling. In our case the PU can be separated from other parts of product more easily.
• Choosing recyclable materials: Eco-design considers the materials used to make a product and chooses materials that are recyclable. This makes it easier to recycle the product at the end of its life. In our case it is important to choose the use of the PU in a way, in which it can be separated and recycled almost completely.
• Minimizing waste: Eco-design aims to minimize waste throughout the entire life cycle of a product, from the manufacturing process to the end-of-life disposal. This reduces the amount of waste that needs to be recycled, making the recycling process more efficient. In our case it reasonable to consider the use of the recycled PU in a product.

Overall, by designing products with recycling in mind, we can create a more sustainable and circular economy, where resources are used more efficiently and waste is minimized.

What are you most excited about for Foam Expo and Adhesives & Bonding Expo 2023?

In contrary to the fabricators on other markets the US manufacturers are currently mostly focused on mechanical recycling only. On this event we would like to introduce to the US audience the additional, innovative and commercially very attractive recycling technology and encourage them to implement it in their facilities. We have already successfully put into operation several industrial scale recycling plants in Europe and are very much motivated to introduce our technology to the US customers.

What will attendees learn from your presentation and why is it important that they attend?

In our presentation we would like to focus on our innovative chemical PU recycling technology, which works already on an industrial scale and is proven by our customers in Europe. We are proud to be ahead of time and have launched our R&D activities in the field of chemical recycling already more than 15 years ago and that our efforts paid-off. For flexible PU foam waste we built a factory in Poland and established two plants for polyol recovery out of end-of-life PU mattresses in France and the Netherlands. Additionally we installed a recycling plant for semi-rigid PU waste in China. Currently there are two plants for rigid PU foam recycling under construction in Europe and several projects in the pipeline in Latin America.

If you could have one famous person (present or from the past) over for dinner, who would they be and why?

Coco Chanel. She was an exceptional entrepreneur because of her innovative approach to fashion, her understanding of branding and marketing, her business acumen, her persistence, and her willingness to follow new pathes.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what one item would you bring?

A comfy mattress (with recycled polyol, of course).