Impact Zero - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Milan based exhaust manufacturer GPR Italia is establishing itself as a leader in the race to achieve 'Net Zero' impact with its '3R' rule …
GPR Italia Srl has been a leading exhaust manufacturer for over 50 years, but joint CEO Mauro Orlandi is not a man who stands still.
In a sector once widely regarded by regulators as a major contributor to pollution, a sector that is part of the problem and not part of the solution, Mauro has embraced the cause of sustainability and is quickly establishing leadership among the aftermarket exhaust industry for the creativity and innovation of his ideas and plans.
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| Gianluigi (left) and Mauro Orlandi - joint CEOs of GPR - Mauro sells them, Gianluigi makes them! |
Mauro has included the adaptation of design, management and production methods to guarantee the sustainability of its products into the GPR Italia Mission Statement. "In fact, we had already started on this path with the overhaul of the plant to begin the 2021 season already meeting the requirements of the circular economy," Mauro says.
"Better known as the '3R' rule - reduce, reuse, recycle - our aim is to obtain the first ISO 14021 environmental certification by the end of 2021.
'ISO 14021 environmental certification by the end of 2021'
"We have carried out this ambitious project right in the midst of the darkest period for Italy, with the pandemic and the consequent lockdowns. It was not easy to carry out the work during such a difficult period, but the reasons for doing so keep increasing, and thanks to our collaborators, the management and the partners involved, we have achieved the goal.
"The launch of the new catalogue, highlighting our plans and the progress already made, will be on an important date for GPR - November 18th, the 90th birthday of our founder and President, Giuseppe Orlandi.
"With the first part of the project, to focus on the revision and renovation of the plant and equipment itself, already completed, the second part will see us focus on the creation of a new generation of exhausts that will eventually replace all the present catalogue offerings within a few years."
In 2020, GPR implemented a range of basic changes. These included the purchase of electricity that is certified as produced from renewable sources only; the establishment of a contract with ReteClima for the offsetting of emissions from our websites and servers; the purchase of natural gas for heating from companies that adopt emissions compensation and a change to hybrid vehicles by the management.
'50% recycled materials, 30% longer life cycle, 95% recyclable'
Additional measures included the elimination of water bottles from distributors with the creation of an internal GPR "source", thanks to which Mauro says that they have been able to eliminate the purchase of about 28,000 plastic bottles of water and carbonated drinks (which have been abolished) each year - plus the elimination of all plastic cups, spoons from coffee and beverage dispensers, which has allowed GPR to eliminate the purchase and use of approximately 45,000 cups and 45,000 plastic spoons per year.
"These may appear to all be small, incremental steps, but making small decisions is how we can all, together, make big changes," says Mauro. "We have also gone over to the exclusive use of recycled paper for about 950,000 pages of mandatory documents and eliminated our paper price list with an average saving of about 60,000 sheets of paper a year and a high reduction of the environmental impact of printing toner.
"The reduction of the size of our paper catalogue, both in terms of page count and number of pieces distributed, has given us another saving of around 180,000 sheets of paper a year and another very high reduction in the environmental impact of the colour toner we use.
"Introduction of modern CNC production systems has allowed us to reduce our energy consumption, eliminate the use of oil and improve our attention to the details of operation that add up to improved employee safety.
"In 2021 we have started on the really vital part of the project. The R&D department compiled the data on all of the raw materials we use in the production of GPR exhausts in such a way that we have been able to make precise projections for all components, understanding their environmental footprint, and analysing each of them so we can better understand their durability and recyclability.
'creation of the first GPR forest'
"Materials commonly used for the motorcycle sector that have an extremely onerous energy consumption and negative environmental impact (such as carbon and coloured aluminium) have been eliminated from our processes or reduced to minimal use. We have not only developed new parts that have a lower negative environmental impact, but have also developed new packaging, without plastic and polystyrene, that is 100 percent made with recycled and recyclable cardboard, or invested in cotton bags.
"Our machine park has been expanded again, with the inclusion of new systems that significantly reduce the consumption of water and energy (air cooling), as well as a new generation laser cutting machine that allows sheet metal cutting WITHOUT the use of gas - compressed air only.
"The goal was to create a range of items that come at least 50% from recycled materials, extend the average life of the product by at least 30% and make the final product recyclable for 95% of its weight - all while maintaining a price that is still competitive - requiring only a small premium over standard production and sales techniques. Indeed, eventually all global industry should be able to make and sell its products at lower prices than standard techniques.
"Though our objectives were initially judged to be almost impossible, as a project, the development department actually managed to improve on the desired outcomes, doubling the life of the product and hitting the other objectives in full - selecting electrically coloured stainless steel and titanium as the perfect materials for the new range.
"This important work has been complemented by the creation of the first GPR PARK - a wooded area of over 10,000 sq m in the province of Milan, to compensate for the emissions produced during our production and other internal processes, for the impacts of the subsequent recycling of the waste and for the end-of-life disposal of the product.
"Moving forward, GPR will plan to compensate not only its own production, but probably the emissions and waste created by the entire production process of the complete vehicles that are equipped with GPR exhausts.
"From this long experimental research, our '3R' IMPACT ZERO family of exhausts will be launched and seen at EICMA, with new families Furore, Dual, Gpe Evo, Sonic and M3 series exhausts, intended for about 300 motorcycle models. A production and sale of about 3,000 units is envisaged in 2023 and, doubling in subsequent years, the whole new range will boast the ISO 14021 certification."
GPR ITALIA SRL
www.gpr.it
