Editor's Focus

Talking to officials from GNB Technologies, Atlanta, a large battery manufacturer and recycler profiled in this month’s issue of Recycling Today, I was struck by how much the company’s total battery management system resembles the efficient manufacturing system of the future that environmentalist Paul Hawken outlined at the National Recycling Coalition’s annual convention in 1995.

Hawken advocated that companies assume complete responsibility for their products, all the way through the cycle of production, distribution, collection after use, and recycling into new products. GNB has a system in place to accomplish just that, with a little help on the collection end from the fee most states require consumers to pay if they don’t turn in a spent battery each time they purchase a new one.

Manufacturers of the future will use recovered materials from their own post-consumer products back into new products, Hawken predicted. GNB has three recycling plants that recover lead and plastics, which it uses to manufacture new batteries.

And Hawken said manufacturers will become creative in finding ways to eliminate waste from their operations. GNB has a company-wide policy of aiming for "zero emissions" in its facilities, spurring officials to develop some new waste reduction technologies at its new plant in Columbus, Ga. There, after battery acid from recovered batteries is neutralized and desulfurized, the sulfur removed in that process is sent through a crystallizing process, creating sodium sulfate – a valuable commodity sold to the detergent and fabric dying industries. So instead of having a hazardous sludge which the company pays to dispose of, GNB has both eliminated a waste stream and created a new source of revenue.

Maybe manufacturers of other products will follow GNB’s model of total product management and find cost-effective, market-driven and profitable ways of bringing manufacturing into the future.

On another note, as the year draws to a close, we at Recycling Today would like to take a moment to thank all of our readers and advertisers for making our publication a success. In our most current independent market research, we were your most frequently read industry magazine by a margin of more than two to one over the competition. Your regular readership is recognized by industry suppliers who are increasingly selecting Recycling Today as their publication of choice for advertising. As a result, we have enjoyed significant growth – 9 percent – in our advertising pages during 1996. This has allowed us to expand our editorial pages, providing more market information for you each month.

Thank you for your continued support. In the year ahead, please continue to let us know how we can better serve you. And best wishes from all of us for a happy and healthy holiday season.