Environmentally friendly disposal The recyclable tool: the Hilti GX120 gas-driven fastening system The Hilti GX 120 gas-driven fastening system not only sets new benchmarks for di- rect fastening in drywall applications, but up to 96% of the materials used in its man- ufacture can either be reused or recycled. A residual amount of approximately 4% has to be disposed of. As opposed to earlier models, the Hilti GX120 gas canister has no dosage valve. In purely mathematical terms if we produce one million canisters this represents a re- duction of 22.4 tons of plastic, once again showing the significant effect small innova- tions can have. Hilti packaging is recyclable This is why one can also find the green point recycling symbol on all Hilti packaging. It is found on sales packaging in Germany and in 23 other European countries where the material is disposed of in a controlled process or recycled. Hilti places a great deal of emphasis on handling existing resources with care. In line with this, it goes without saying that we would ensure the recyclability of packaging. Hilti North America recycles 55,000 kilograms of material What happens to old tools when they are replaced by a new generation as part of Hilti’s Fleet Management* program? To meet its obligation to nature and the environment, Hilti’s North American market- ing organization found partners that recycle the older tools, reducing the level of waste. “We don’t want our customers to have to concern themselves with the disposal of tools. At the same time, we want them to know that we are doing what we can to pro- tect the environment”, says Harry Bucher, who helps market Fleet Management with Hilti North America. Beginning with electric cords, toolboxes and battery packs and now encompassing all tools, each individual component is carefully sorted in Hilti’s American and Canadian repair centers. The collected materials are then sent to vari- ous recycling companies. This includes batteries, which require particularly sensitive handling. These actions helped Hilti North America to recycle roughly 55,000 kilograms of ma- terial by the end of 2008. In terms of weight this corresponds to roughly 23 pickup trucks, or 67 passenger vehicles. Estimates from 2009 see the volume growing to some 125,000 kilograms. But the recycling program is only in the beginning stages according to Harry Bucher. “We plan on launching additional activities aimed at pro- tecting our environment.” * Hilti provides customers with a complete fleet of tools for a fixed monthly price. During the contracted period customers receive a single monthly invoice that covers all costs for all tools, including those for standard re- pairs. At the end of the period the fleet is replaced with the latest generation of Hilti tools. One of the advan- tages of Fleet Management is that the customers’ tools always meet the most up-to-date safety standards. Environmental management at Hilti 11
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