Interview Save Plastics | Entrepreneur in Almere

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Bram Peters thinks it is only natural to use what you already have. And that is exactly what his company Save Plastics does: it makes sustainable products for outdoor spaces from plastic waste. 'We don't see waste, but a valuable raw material. These days we call that circular enterprise, in the past it was simply called smart procurement and smart use of materials.'

After studying Nature & Environment Management, Bram decided to join his father, who owned a company that recycled agricultural films into raw material. It gave me a good feeling to be able to contribute in this way
to a nicer world.' But he also wanted to do something tangible, so Bram started looking for opportunities to make products from recycled plastic. This is how he developed the company into the one it is today. A circular front-runner in the Netherlands, designing sustainable products for outdoor spaces using plastic waste as a basis. In the Netherlands alone, we throw away 1.3 billion kilos of household plastic waste every year. A shame, thinks Bram. 'Plastic is the perfect raw material for indestructible products. Lamp posts, bridges, benches, picnic tables, sheet piling: the possibilities are endless.'

Green plastic factory

Bram: 'In the Netherlands, there are a few large sorting companies to which household waste is taken. After high-quality plastic, such as PET bottles, is first removed from the plastic waste, about 60 per cent difficult-to-process plastic remains. This is normally incinerated. In Almere, we are now building a Green Plastic Factory, where we will give this plastic a second life by turning it into new products.' The factory is part of the Transform-CE project, which aims to recycle plastic at a high level so that it retains value and enters a cycle of reuse. 'This is our first concrete project where we are working circularly with local plastic waste. We hope to roll it out in several regions in the future. Ultimately, we want to tackle the problem globally.'

" We started looking at our products with different eyes "
Bram Peters, managing director Save Plastics

House made of plastic waste

However, plastic waste has many more uses. You can even build houses with it, proves Bram. Since spring 2020, he and his family have lived in the first Save home in Arnhem. The exterior of this home consists of local waste plastic, while inside everything is made of wood. The house is modular and consists of moveable units that can be arranged and connected as desired. Bram: 'The house meets all requirements, has a high comfort value and uses voice-controlled home automation. With this house, we prove that you can not only live perfectly well in plastic, but that it can also be very luxurious and ultra-modern.' The first Save homes are scheduled to hit the market in 2021.

Waste plastic has two major advantages, according to Bram: it is ultra-sustainable and low-grade plastic in particular is abundant. But there are also disadvantages, he confesses. 'Plastic does not have the beautiful look of wood, for example, and it has - wrongly, incidentally - a bad image: it is said to be harmful to health, for example. Moreover, plastic is not specifically suitable as a construction material. But as an entrepreneur, I find it a challenge to come up with smart applications, such as combinations with a fibre, which do make the material strong.

Lego for adults

At Floriade Expo 2022, Save Plastics would like to show the general public the numerous possibilities that plastic waste offers. We are building a tiny house with stackable building blocks made of 100% recycled plastic, originating from Almeeren's household waste. A kind of LEGO for adults: you can model the house in any shape you want. We also make the complete garden design from waste plastics, such as a decking, a bridge and a fence. With this, we show that waste plastic is the building material of the twenty-first century.' Bram is very pleased with the cooperation with the municipality of Almere. 'Almere wants to become a city without waste and you notice that in everything. It is currently the only municipality in the Netherlands that really wants to go for this.' According to him, the bottleneck in the transition to a circular economy is mainly the earnings model behind it. 'That is often lacking. But it is necessary, otherwise it will remain pilots and fun initiatives.'

More information: www.saveplastics.nl

Also come to Almere

Almere is the youngest city in the Netherlands and rapidly developing, which makes it attractive for startups and innovative, sustainable businesses. The city offers a unique blend of technological progress and sustainable transition, with contemporary infrastructure and convenient location and potential test environments. Almere promotes growth and collaboration, offering entrepreneurs the space to pioneer, innovate and flourish. Almere gives entrepreneurs space!

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SAVE PLASTICS

Green plastic factory

House made of plastic waste

Lego for adults

Also come to Almere

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