ISTOBAL is reducing the amount of plastic in product packaging as part of a commitment to sustainability.
The company minimises the environmental impact on the performance of its business through different initiatives aimed at caring for the environment. This has resulted in a 28% reduction in plastic and a 2% reduction in the cardboard used to pack its products at its Spanish production plant, without compromising the protection and preservation of their products. It has also replaced plastic in spare part shipments with paper filler or recycled cardboard.
Furthermore, ISTOBAL has increased its range of super-concentrated Xtract ISTOBAL esens® chemicals by 50%, reducing plastic by more than 90% in car wash chemical packaging, compared to traditional packaging. These products help to optimise logistics, since it is possible to transport four times the amount of product, due to the small size of the containers. As a result, fewer trips to transport the same final amount of chemical means a reduction in CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. For example, while a 20-foot container is capable of carrying up to 13,200 litres of chemicals in traditional 10-litre formats, with Xtract, it is possible to ship up to 52,800 litres of equivalent product.
Today’s range of super-concentrated Xtract chemicals, consisting of 15 products covering all washing stages, has been fully enhanced, now offering greater efficiency in car washes and including perfume in many of them.
ISTOBAL’s other environmental goals have been to optimise energy and water consumption, as well as to enhance the use of renewable energy sources. In 2020, the company reduced natural gas consumption by 8% in the production process for the powder painting booth and reduced the use of well water, by 13%, in its industrial processes and in the new model testing areas.
In 2021, ISTOBAL will continue to expand its initiatives to reduce waste and energy consumption, as well as to optimise its supply chain, among other environmental measures.
Pioneering sustainable vehicle wash and care technologies
ISTOBAL is a pioneer in developing sustainable solutions to reduce water, energy and chemical consumption in the car wash industry.
Recently, the company has developed an innovative bio-recycler with an ultra-filtration system that recycles up to 100% of the water used in each wash. It is the first biological cleaning and recycling equipment capable of treating 100% of the water from the vehicle's exterior wash and obtaining the highest quality for its later reuse in all wash stages, including osmosis in the final finish.
As part of its push towards responsible use of their car wash and care solutions, ISTOBAL has managed to reduce water consumption in its automatic commercial wash equipment by 45%, around 40% in state-of-the-art rollover car washes and 33% in its jet wash facilities.
Furthermore, all of ISTOBAL esens® chemical products are biodegradable and in recent years have extended their international certifications in sustainability.
