"For us, sustainability means replacing virgin plastic with recycled plastic. This is only successful if you say: I want to replace this, with everything that goes with it! This is exactly where HolyPoly makes a decisive contribution: the team knows what is feasible and how."
Marco Achenbach
Head of Brand and Product Strategy, C. Josef Lamy GmbHThe aquaplus re opaque inkwell is the first product made from recycled plastic to be added to the LAMY portfolio. The successful pilot project marks the start of a process that aims to completely replace all plastics with recycled materials. Together with HolyPoly, a product with 99.4% recycled content has been created - in the usual LAMY quality and at the same sales price as the classic aquaplus made from virgin material. LAMY has thus ambitiously defined the recycling standard - and the next product is already in the pipeline.
The product makes the difference
As a medium-sized company, LAMY in Heidelberg aims to shape the entire value chain itself - from the initial product idea to the design and tool manufacture through to production and assembly. The following has always applied: high-quality products with a timeless design that are not a luxury for the few and that reflect a responsible use of resources.
"We sell up to nine million writing instruments a year, around seven million of which are made of plastic. If we were to use recycled material for all of them, it would have a huge impact on our environmental footprint. With HolyPoly, we are finding out product by product how this material revolution can succeed - economically and without compromising on our quality standards."
Lamy is aware that the use of plastic made from crude oil must be phased out in the interests of environmental and social responsibility. However, sustainable alternatives must not be at the expense of product quality and must also work economically. This is why the company wants to transform its use of plastic and set itself ambitious standards when it comes to recycling. With real products that make a difference. The long-term goal: in the future, all plastic products should be made from recycled material - at the same price.
LAMY opaque inkwell made from virgin material (left) and recycled plastic (right)
New standards, proven quality
Despite the global recognition of the LAMY brand, C. Josef Lamy GmbH is one of the medium-sized companies in the industry. It has very broad technological expertise and short decision-making channels, which allow it to quickly take concrete action - including sustainable innovations. And when these lean structures reach their capacity limits, the Lamy team relies on the resources of external specialists. The important thing here is that, in addition to professional expertise, the attitude of the partners must also be right. Nothing works here without a passion for quality and a sense of responsibility for one's own work.
"When selecting our partners, we take great care to ensure that they fit in with us and our attitude. With HolyPoly, this was the case from the very first moment: I was very inspired by the expertise and passion of the HolyPoly people - also because I realized that they provide a service where timesheets and price tables are not the only things that count."
This is where HolyPoly comes into play
LAMY wanted to bring the material transformation to market maturity with a product of the highest quality and maximum recycled content. In order to realize this complex project alongside daily production operations and to speed up the development process, LAMY enlisted the help of HolyPoly. Together, they chose the aquaplus opaque ink duct. The goal was as ambitious as it was ambitious: The inkwell made from recycled plastic had to be in no way inferior to the petroleum plastic version and was to set new standards with a first-class design of the highest quality.
The entire range of expertise
With the aquaplus re opaque ink duct, Lamy's recycling ambitions manifest themselves as a product on the market for the first time. This challenge accompanied HolyPoly from conception to marketing. The starting point was the search for suitable materials that meet all requirements - technically, visually and haptically. A particular challenge was that the coloring material - called masterbatch - also had to be made from recycled material. This is because the high recycled content of 99.4 percent could only be achieved by dispensing with the virgin material that is usually used for this purpose.
"The collaboration with HolyPoly helps us to make reliable progress in terms of recycling! The team looks at alternative materials for us, checks the quality and organizes procurement - all of which is essential for efficient series production."
In order to make the use of recycled material visible in the product, HolyPoly developed a marbled design that could be implemented with the existing stock of injection molding tools.
In the final step, HolyPoly supported the marketing of the paint box with a workshop on the topics of communication and compliance. This enabled the Lamy team to launch a marketing campaign with convincing words and images that complied with the EU Green Claims Directive. Particularly helpful: In order to determine the actual effect of the use of recycled materials on CO2 emissions, HolyPoly also calculated the product carbon footprint for the paint box.
Course of the project
Concept of circular series production
Which material meets all the requirements and how can it be optimally processed? These questions shaped the design phase, in which several material options were put to the test. In addition to the technical properties, it was also important to ensure availability and the optimum processing method - at the end of which a cost-effective product was created.
The perspective extends far beyond the initial product: all subsequent product developments benefit from the early clarification of fundamental questions regarding technical properties, legal requirements and sufficient material availability. As a result, the concept of the paint box has the potential to serve as a blueprint for the transformation of the entire product range.
"The conception phase was decisive: during the process, the HolyPoly team asked exactly the right questions that were relevant to us and dealt with them competently and with an impressive level of detail. And because the solutions presented were convincing, we also decided to implement the project. In short: everything was just right."
Material selection and pre-qualification
When deciding between different material options, the focus was on usage and processing properties as well as the availability of the source materials. The material had to be visually and haptically suitable for the paint box and be able to be processed with the existing machines. Content analyses such as a migration test in accordance with DIN EN 71-3 showed that the material posed no risk with regard to the tested and potentially hazardous ingredients. For the favored material - in this case PS plastic from discarded refrigerators - HolyPoly researched reliable suppliers.
Individual services
- Requirements analysis for product and process (mechanical, optical, chemical safety, processing and others)
- Evaluation of the material data sheets and test requirements of the classic new material as a guideline for the material search
- Screening and sourcing of suitable materials according to criteria such as plastic type (PS, ABS), source (WEEE, packaging, other) and availability (annual quantities, batch sizes)
- Pre-qualification of 4 materials with a particular focus on processability, warpage, whiteness and colorability, impact resistance and toy safety
Marbling
Because the basic design of the product was just as predetermined as the available tools, a marbling was to set a visual accent and thus make the recycled material "visible". HolyPoly developed a method with which a marble effect can be created with little effort in the series tool - making each paint box unique. For future products with a marble look, HolyPoly produced an individual color fan as a new tool for the design process.
Individual services
- Technology screening for several injection molding options for the marble effect
- Cost calculation for two variants with simulation of the look that can be achieved in each case
- Selection of an option that can be adapted to the existing mold, which only needs to be extended by a rented module for the production phase
- Test series on site to develop optimum settings for the marble sample
- subsequent injection molding study in the series tool of the paint box to try out different marbling / mixing ratios
- Production of sample tags of different marbled color variants
Material and process development
In order to maximize the proportion of recycled material in the product, HolyPoly and its partners have developed their own masterbatch for colouring the plastic. This material mix consists of a plastic granulate as a carrier material and coloring pigments. A formula was developed for the Lamy masterbatch that makes a recycled material usable as a carrier material. This means that no new plastic is required in the entire paint box. The only non-recycled material in the entire product are the 0.6 percent color pigments, which are not made of plastic.
"We learned that an amazingly high recycled content in our products works. In addition to quality, it was also important for us to record all the figures and see what difference the recycled version of our product actually makes. The comparative product carbon footprint shows us whether we are on a good and sensible path."
Color development on a recyclate basis
The color development was carried out at HolyPoly on the basis of sample PS materials until the desired values were achieved. The carrier material in the masterbatch is the same recycled material as in the rest of the ink duct, so that the plastic in the entire product consists of only two components - recycled material and color pigment. The proportion of pigment in the end product is only 0.6 percent. This maximized the proportion of recycled material to 99.4 percent while meeting all mechanical and process requirements.
Individual services
- Evaluation of the base color and colorability of various base materials (depending on filler content and source)
- Color development 1, increasing the white value of the base material: LAMY decided against this, as pure white would have increased costs and reduced the proportion of recycled material
- Color development 2, marble accent color ultramarine blue: color value could be achieved exactly with a dosage of 5-6%
- Checking the mechanical properties of the colored product
- Material procurement and coloring for pre-series sampling
- Coordination of pre-series sampling
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) provides an answer to the question of whether a recycling solution is really more sustainable than the status quo. At LAMY, this was done by objectively comparing the two ink ducts - with and without recycled material - in terms of their greenhouse gas emissions. The calculation was based on the ISO 14067 standard "Greenhouse gases - Carbon footprint of products - Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication".
The comprehensive analysis in accordance with ISO 14067 considers all processes from the extraction of raw materials through production until the product leaves the factory gate in accordance with the "cradle to gate" principle. The emission factors of the raw materials are taken into account - in this case in a comparison of primary polystyrene from crude oil with the recycled material. Also in focus: transportation emissions, electricity consumption during production in the context of the current energy mix and emissions resulting from the collection, transportation, pre-treatment, separation or compounding of the recycled material.
Individual services
- Modeling a customized product system for plastics sourcing and processing
- Collecting primary data and conducting interviews with key suppliers on manufacturer-specific data such as transportation routes, electricity consumption and emission factors of materials and machines
- If primary data is missing, comparison with literature and database values and their influence on the overall result via sensitivity analysis. If necessary, individual research of emission factors.
- Calculation of the carbon footprint in accordance with ISO 14067 for a paint box made of virgin and recycled material
Production pilot series
12.000 units - that was the target size for the pilot series. To ensure a smooth production process, a team from HolyPoly carried out test runs on the series machine on site with the aim of highlighting the marbling so that the color boxes are visibly different from other products.
All the necessary machine settings and parameters for series production were determined. Around three tons of recycled material were provided, as well as the masterbatch in ultramarine blue and all technical information and safety data sheets. Just in time for the sales launch of aquaplus re, HolyPoly hosted a workshop for the Lamy team to support the optimal marketing of the product.
"In addition to all the technical expertise, the communication know-how of HolyPoly was particularly valuable for us. The workshops gave our experts the confidence they needed to communicate the sustainability aspects transparently, correctly and comprehensibly. This also applies to our marketing and the recommendations on sales psychology aspects or the design of the outer packaging."
Sustainability marketing workshop
Important topics in the workshops included background information on the circular economy, pitfalls in sustainability communication and best practices from other industries. In the context of the values of the Lamy brand and company, initial ideas were developed that can be continued and expanded in future projects.
Individual services
- Advice on communication, packaging, etc.
- Advice on compliance issues and sustainability communication - particularly with regard to the Green Claim Regulation
- Workshop concept, methodology, preparation and organization
- Workshop moderation
- Documentation and preparation of the results
Partner network
Unique in every respect
The marbling of the aquaplus re makes each individual opaque paint box truly unique! The first small series in the new color combination of ultramarine blue and white comprises 12,000 units. With the unique look of the paint box, it is almost a minor matter that it also meets all of Lamy's requirements in terms of quality and sustainability - and offers the best conditions for recycling later on.
Perfect timing: The aquaplus re color box went on sale in summer 2024, just in time for the start of school - at the same price as the previous product made from new material.
"During the realization of the product, all steps were transparent and stringently traceable, every one of our requirements was met. I never had to worry about success and the end result was exactly what we had hoped for: a high-quality product with a recycled content of almost 100%."
Impact: The material makes the difference
A look at the CO2 savings compared to a paint box made from new material using our calculation shows that the use of recycled polystyrene achieves a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The project clearly shows the potential of using recycled material. Simply by changing the material source from primary to secondary raw materials, the proportion of environmentally harmful greenhouse gas emissions is reduced by more than two thirds.
The corresponding calculations were carried out strictly in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 14067 standard - however, final certification of the results was waived, as the data obtained is used exclusively for internal analysis and knowledge acquisition and is not used by LAMY for advertising purposes.
"Thanks to the pilot project, we now know that our recycled material is very versatile and in no way inferior to virgin material. This allows us to manufacture the same product with a significantly smaller ecological footprint."
The vision: "RE" for every product
With the aquaplus re opaque paint box, LAMY has launched a transformation process that explores the possibilities of circular material use for the product portfolio. The pilot project uses a specific product to show what recycling can already achieve today. At the same time, it makes it clear what potential for reducing environmental pollution is still untapped. It is therefore clear to HolyPoly and LAMY that this project marks the starting point of an innovation phase that could turn all LAMY plastic products to "re" in the future. The aquaplus re will also continue: three new color variants are being planned.
"The Aquaplus project with HolyPoly was an important and positive experience for our company - and for the Lamy team personally. With the Safari fountain pen, the technical hurdles will be significantly higher. But I'm an optimistic guy and all my experiences with HolyPoly speak in favor of taking the risk. And if it actually succeeds, we will raise the bar for the whole industry."
The next project is already picking up speed: Now it's the turn of the Safari fountain pen. This project has the potential to be a real recycling milestone for Lamy. After all, a fountain pen with all its components and functions is technically much more sophisticated than a paint box. Which is why material-related design adjustments cannot be ruled out for the Safari.
After all, the iconic writing instrument is much closer to the core of the LAMY brand, which is why design, color and feel play a particularly important role. In short, it is the perfect challenge for HolyPoly. We are looking forward to it!
Pascal Haaf
The Project Owner Lamy #aquaplus_re will be happy to answer any questions about the project.