The steady depletion of raw materials has again led to price increases in 2012

Modern environment management: More and more industrial organisations are voluntarily opting for the sustainable conservation of valuable resources

According to financial experts, the prices for industrial raw materials look set to continue rising in 2012. The reasons for this lie in the steady depletion of the raw materials. To counter this trend, the federal government has set up the "Resource Efficiency Network" which aims to raise awareness for the environment in industrial operations and to promote the development of environmentally-compatible products, although no specific laws have been passed to date.

A growing number of companies are voluntarily taking action and introducing recycling systems to ensure that the material is used as efficiently as possible and the consumption of materials is kept as low as possible. Two of these companies are Schulte Strathaus and its subsidiary Cyrus whose products are all developed and manufactured with the objective of conserving the environment.

Modern environment management systems are a challenge for the bulk goods industry. Important aspects here are the reduction of dust and the conservation of natural resources, areas that are increasingly subject to statutory regulations. The Schulte Strathaus Groups even exceeds the existing requirements true to its motto "Solutions – clean and green": For example, in the conveyor technology field, the company has developed belt scrapers that achieve 30 percent better cleaning results than comparable systems thanks to the patented Twist-Swing function. The material is collected and recycled. Special conveyor belts have been designed which close when bulk material is transported. This in turn significantly reduces dust emissions.

The fire prevention and sealing technology divisions and also the vibration technology division are oriented toward saving material and low energy consumption. For example, the subsidiary company Cyrus now specialises in the development and production of filter and vibrating machines that are used to filter sand from the material for reuse. This is why these machines are frequently used in the recycling industry.