Environment

MAXIMUM RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

GREEN ENERGY

Since 2011 COFRA has been producing green energy thanks to a photovoltaic system with a total nominal power of 1,3 MW. Its total area is about 10.000 m², which considerably exceeds the area of an entire football pitch for international matches. The photovoltaic system covers the 60% of the company’s annual energy demand, that is equal to the annual electrical energy demand of about 500 families (3.000 kWh). We avoid the emission in the atmosphere of more than 800 annual tons of CO₂ and about 16.000 t in twenty years.

RECOVERY OF PRODUCTION WASTES

WASTES OF THE SOLE PRODUCTION PROCESS
Since the 80s COFRA has recycled the waste of thermoplastic materials used for the production of soles. In 1995 COFRA started a plant that allowed to reuse production wastes (thermosetting materials included) to obtain one of the raw materials used to produce our soles. This plant is still among the very few across Europe and has achieved the excellent objective of avoiding the emission of more than 2,000 tonnes of polyurethane waste with very slow biodegradable features.
Starting from 2012, a new activity of recovery and reuse of production wastes of soles has begun. In collaboration with partners and suppliers who have expressed sensibility for the environmental issue, after a phase of feasibility study and experimentation, this recovery activity has now been fully implemented.
An important chemical-physical-technological development has led to the creation of a new formulation of materials for soles, which not only uses the total recovery of the sole material wastes, but it also allows the re-use of a good amount of thermosetting material, by nature, much less suitable to be recovered. This process has been naturally entered into the production processes granting a constant recovery of an increasing quantity of wastes deriving from the injection of soles.

PVC WASTES OF PVC BOOT INJECTION PROCESS
COFRA recovers 100% of PVC production wastes of its boots.

NON - TOXIC REMOVAL AGENTS AND GREEN PRODUCTS FOR THE CLEANING OF THE MOULDS

PU sole moulding requires the use of release agents: for several years COFRA has removed solvents that are toxic and dangerous for man and the environment.
At the end of the injection process, the moulds require a cleaning phase: COFRA has initially replaced chemical products with physical means, and then has switched tobicarbonate, totally “green”.