World's first company to be awarded the Circular Globe Label

The 118-year-old fastening specialist Raimund Beck KG from Mauerkirchen (Upper Austria) is the first company in the world to receive the Circular Globe Label for circular economy. The label was developed by Quality Austria in cooperation with the Swiss SQS and evaluates the entire system of a company for its recyclability. At the product level, Beck particularly impressed with LIGNOLOC, the first collated wooden nail, and with nail screws called SCRAIL, which combine the advantages of nails and screws. 

Raimund Beck KG is a leading premium manufacturer of fastening systems. The fourth-generation family business was founded in 1904, today employs around 450 people and sells its products in 60 countries. Quality Austria has now presented Raimund Beck KG as the very first company with the Circular Globe label for circular economy. Christian Beck, CEO & General Manager, is enthusiastic about the award: "As a pioneer in fastening technology, we are particularly pleased that we are now also taking bold steps in the field of circular economy and serving as a benchmark in our industry in the field of sustainable management ."

Christian Beck, CEO & General Manager Raimund Beck KG © BECK

Nails made of pressed wood

Two experts from Quality Austria examined the company from Mauerkirchen (Upper Austria), which is internationally known under the “Beck” umbrella brand, for its recyclability. Birgit Gahleitner, product expert for recycling management at Quality Austria, was one of the two assessors: "At BECK, two techniques played a particularly important role at the product level in the assessment process: On the one hand, SCRAIL nail screws, which are driven pneumatically into the material to be fastened like nails with a machine can be shot in and later simply unscrewed like screws. And on the other hand nails made of pressed wood called LIGNOLOC. Both products make a significant contribution to energy, material and time savings and thus ensure ecological and economic advantages.” Overall, Beck offers different products for around 20 sectors, ranging from the construction industry and carpentry to the automotive industry, agriculture and gastronomy.

Birgit Gahleitner, product expert for circular economy Quality Austria © Photo Studio Eder

Exciting aha experiences 

"The intensive preparations for the assessment already gave us important clues as to how we can better include all relevant environmental aspects and effects in our considerations and planning," explains Christian Beck. The feedback in the course of the appraisal for the Circular Globe Label also gave the company some exciting aha experiences: "Especially with consumer goods such as nails, it is enormously important not only for us to consider all aspects of 'closing the loop' - i.e. the possibilities of biological and technical cycle closure - but it is also becoming relevant for more and more customers," as the CEO emphasizes.

Axel Dick, Sector Manager Environment and Energy, CSR Quality Austria © Anna Rauchenberger

Circular economy is more than recycling

"Recyclability has to be taken into account as early as the design stage, because around 80 percent of a product's environmental impact is determined in the design phase," emphasizes Axel Dick, Sector Manager Environment and Energy, CSR, at Quality Austria. The key factors include, for example, material efficiency, durability and recyclability. “Unfortunately, the cliché that recycling and the circular economy are one and the same still persists. In fact, recycling is only part of the circular economy,” explains the environmental expert.

Conversion is not a one-time thing 

"When switching to a circular economy, we speak of a transformation process, because the change from linear to circular value creation in a company cannot be realized overnight," explains Axel Dick. That is why a series of courses designed by Quality Austria in cooperation with the Swiss SQS is also called "Circular Globe Transformation Coach - Certification Course". "The changeover to the circular economy is never a completed process, which is why progress assessments are already planned in the companies in the second and third year of the Circular Globe Label and the validity must be extended every three years," concludes Axel Dick.

For more information: www.circular-globe.com

lead photo: Awarding of the Circular Globe Label, from left to right: Werner Paar, Managing Director Quality Austria; Alexander Nolli, Director Quality & Operations Raimund Beck KG; Christian Eder, Quality Manager Raimund Beck KG; Christoph Mondl, Managing Director Quality Austria; Axel Dick, Sector Manager Environment and Energy, CSR Quality Austria © Anna Rauchenberger

QualityAustria

Quality Austria – Training, Certification and Assessment GmbH is the leading Austrian authority for System and product certifications, Assessments and validations, Assessments, Training and personal certification as well as for that Austria quality mark. The basis for this are globally valid accreditations from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) and international approvals. In addition, the company has been awarding the BMDW since 1996 State award for company quality. As the national market leader for Integrated management system to ensure and increase corporate quality, Quality Austria is the driving force behind Austria as a business location and stands for “success with quality”. It cooperates worldwide with approx 50 organizations and actively works in standards bodies and international networks with (EOQ, IQNet, EFQM etc.). More than 10.000 customers in short passes 30 countries and more than 6.000 training participants per year benefit from the many years of expertise of the international company. www.qualityaustria.com