have been redesigned according to the eco-design principles, for which, for example, screws are now used instead of glue, and provided with a QR code and Digital passport which facilitates recycling of |
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materials in as many components as possible. The particular feature of the Digital passport is that it not only indicates the materials, but in the case of plastics also their mechanical properties, dividing them into 10 categories ranging from polymers to engineering polymers. This makes it possible to sort plastics of the same family into different groups according to their mechanical properties, thus keeping them unaltered even in regeneration processes and guaranteeing the high quality of the secondary raw materials obtained. The recovered and recycled materials can also be used in Blizzard and Nordica skis, Moon Boot snow boots and, as far as internal padding is concerned, as well as in Liski protective barriers used in the |
World Cup races. A small quantity of the boots is also put back on the second-hand market, in line with the European Union’ s reuse targets, thanks to the cooperation of the Insieme Social Cooperative of Vicenza, which uses the proceeds to support the most fragile people in the area. Thanks to the Cooperativa Insieme, the first collection point in a municipal eco-centre has recently opened in Vicenza, further facilitating access to users.
THE SORTING STAGE A ski boot is an extremely complex product to recycle, being made up of about 120 materials, glued or fixed to each other. The shell and quarter are made of plastic, usually polypropylene and polyurethane
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. The metal levers are made of iron and aluminium, while the liner is made up of a large number of components sewn, glued or otherwise fixed together and made of different materials, including polyurethane foam, textiles and polyethylene. Then there are some components that are traditionally not recyclable, such as Velcro straps, the foam wedges and the rubber soles. Anyway, each boot is different from model to model and from manufacturer to manufacturer, hence the complexity of an effective recycling method that can be applied to all models on the market. The number of specific cases requiring diversified recycling processes is also growing. In order to ensure the highest possible purity of the second- |
Italian technology plast / April 2025 |
www. plastmagazine. it |
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