Reman is the solution for environmental protection

Let’s do our work and promote us and our industry any time and any place. Remanufacturing is a still-hidden industry – but one that is highly resource-efficient, suggests Volker Schittenhelm

It is matter of fact, that we all need diesel in order to fulfill the set CO2 limits – full stop. Particulate pollution is, without doubt, one of the public health problems to be solved. And the diesel engine contributes to that as well as other industrial technologies – no objections. But aren’t the politicians throwing out the baby with the bath water in demonising the diesel engine and condemning it from the cities? Okay, the particulate pollution would certainly be reduced in the cities, so one problem solved – at least, locally solved. And those politicians and car manufacturers who have initiated offers to end users of scrapping premium, to get rid of their Euro 4 diesel cars to buy cars with alternative technologies (cars driven by gas engines) as a solution for particulate reduction – are they really talking about environmental protection? A clear ‘no!’

Energy Input

Those who believe they are have understood nothing, are not at thinking in perspective and are acting against our all futures. Do you know that the returned old cars must be scrapped – really scrapped? They are not allowed to be sold, disassembled and sold in parts to x, y or z? The argument is that newer cars have much lower emissions than the former ones. But imagine the energy – and thus pollution – of manufacturing the now-returned car and add that to the energy input to produce the new one? An eco-audit would reveal that in total the new bought car would never compensate in its life the CO2 footprint caused by manufacturing of both the returned car plus the new car. Scrapping is the environmental worst-case-scenario. And that is seen only by us technicians and market representatives. Our politicians and all the end users, pocketing the scrapping premium, are supporting the car manufacturing industry at the expense of our all environment – thank you for that.

"Buying a remanufactured engine is not at all a compromise, but good for your budget and for the environment"

FIRM leads by example

Reman is the solution for environmental protection! Consider engine reman first!” That is FIRM’s message to the public, to politicians, political parties and all organisations and associations talking about ‘environmental protection’ and ‘resource efficiency’. Waste management and recycling of material (see also Germany’s lifecycle resource management legislation) is without question a contribution to reducing pollution and CO2 emissions. But why invest energy and capacity in sorting, shredding and feeding back materials into a process of manufacturing new products, if there is a much more cost- and resource-efficient process – which leads an engine to a second lifecycle? The environmental benefits have been quantified in a study from VMI, the German association of engine remanufacturers (see ReMaTecNews February/March 2018).

No compromise

And please take into consideration that buying a remanufactured engine is not at all a compromise, but good for your budget and for the environment. PR slogans of industry participants (OEM as well as IAM) even indicate that reman engines are as good as new - or even better. Opinion polls on the environment reveal the public’s general attitude: environmental protection, yes - but not at my own expense! So, buying and using remanufactured engines is cost-saving and protects the environment – what do you want more? And the engine reman industry moves on: definitions and quality standards from higher-ranking associations and independent guideline-establishing organisations have been published or will be published in the future. That will lead to high transparency - and thus acceptance and confidence - on the customer’s side. Nationwide quality labels and certification processes (see France and Turkey) will certainly also contribute to knowledge, confidence and acceptance of a still-hidden industry, that is resource-efficient. Let’s do our work and promote us and our industry any time and any place. We need reman quotas!

For more information, look at: www.firm-org.eu