Kuusakoski leverages technical expertise in recycling
Discovery Reports
China has imported about 360 million tonnes of scrap materials for recycling in the past 20 years. This figure will grow further as the country's 12th five-year plan calls for sustainability and a reduced carbon footprint.
Developing the world's best recycling technologies for almost 100 years, Kuusakoski Recycling can support the mainland in this endeavour. The company provides a fully integrated suite of recycling services to companies on one end and supplies the processed raw materials to business-to-business clients on the other end.
"We've focused our long history on research and development," says president and CEO Petri Halonen. "We know how to get more value from the materials we work with."
Kuusakoski can recycle up to 90 per cent of metals in used vehicles. In some of its more than 100 recycling facilities worldwide, the company can transform a used car delivered in the morning into refined metal units ready for shipment to vehicle manufacturers by the end of the day. Automated production lines sort the materials according to optics, weight and colour. In recycling cathode ray tubes, the company has also developed a special furnace that separates lead from glass.
The company collaborates with leading universities to expand its technological capabilities. It will also establish a recycling research centre in Lahti, Finland.
While Kuusakoski recycles a full range of products locally, ranging from tyres to demolished buildings, the family-owned company focuses on metal and electronics recycling overseas. It has an office in Hong Kong and approximately 10 Asian partners mostly on the mainland comprising end-customers and companies that further process recycled products.
"We seek partners that are keen on developing their businesses and strictly adhere to global environmental regulations," Halonen says. "Given the appropriate legislative support, we may also collaborate to do actual recycling on the mainland."
