Reduce, reuse, recycle – this is a phrase that is often to be heard in conversations about sustainability, and it’s one that Maytoni takes to heart throughout production and operating processes
By observing these ‘three Rs’, wherever we can, we reduce the burden on the environment, decrease waste, and give sustainability-conscious customers a reason to prefer our products to others.
In this piece, we take a closer look specifically at recycling and recyclability, how we support them, and how this benefits users, and the part they play in our commitment to environmentally responsible production – from packaging to final item.
The importance of quality and transparency
Firstly, it’s important to emphasise that a consistent and effective approach to recycling can only be achieved if there is total control over quality and transparency. Recycling at one phase of the product lifecycle whilst generating inordinate waste in another is not a recipe for sustainability.
This is why, at Maytoni, our production model is totally in-house, giving us, as our chief commercial officer (CCO) Timo Jahnen commented in a recent interview, complete control over raw materials, components, processes, efficiency, and standards. We know exactly what’s recyclable, and how, and we document and enforce the recycling procedures in question.
And because we have such clear and transparent oversight of the manufacturing and recycling process, it puts us in a stronger position to spot opportunities for improvement, and indeed to positively influence our suppliers’ stance on recyclability and sustainability too.
Recycling from the outside in
According to the European Industrial Production Information Exchange (EIPIE), the industrial sector in very broad terms is responsible for about 90% of the 2.5bn tonnes of waste generated every year in the EU, with the manufacturing sector responsible for approximately 11% – and much of that comes from packaging.
This is why it’s so important to ensure packaging recyclability, and Maytoni’s cardboard packaging certainly delivers on this front. Sourced responsibly, it’s made either from wholly or partially recycled material and is itself readily recyclable in any ordinary recycling facility.
Materials made for the circular economy
Once you’ve opened the box, what you see before you isn’t just an example of timeless lighting design – it’s a device with recyclability built in.
This is because our products, as we explained in another article recently, are made largely from stainless steel and aluminium (the most recycled materials on Earth), and the glass that we use can be recycled in specialist facilities.
In short, at Maytoni we design our products and select our materials with recycling firmly in mind, so you can dispose of them at the end of their life easily and in good conscience.
But on that point, we also strive to make products that deliver exceptional longevity, both through evergreen aesthetic appeal and through the outstanding quality of their construction, so the end of their life is often a distant prospect – which, of course, reduces waste.
Bulbs: brilliant news for recycling 
So, we’ve covered the manufacturing, the packaging, and the lights themselves, but what about the bulbs? Aren’t these problematic to recycle?
In the past, they were. Old-style incandescent bulb types were too complex and costly to recycle, because they contained fine wires that were difficult to separate.
Energy-saving compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs are recyclable, usually at larger recycling centres, but come with the disadvantage that they discharge mercury when they’re processed.
But LED bulbs have changed all that. All LEDs are recyclable – bulbs, strips, even broken Christmas lights – alongside other electronic items at your local recycling centre, and contain no harmful mercury or other toxins.
This is why Maytoni’s lights are designed and built to work optimally with LEDs – which, while we’re on the subject, are also energy-efficient, long-lasting, and thus beneficial to the environment in other ways, too.
Looking to the future
Happily, Maytoni isn’t the only business championing recycling and recyclability, because new legislation in European countries is driving this agenda across industries.
The EU, for example, has voted into law new measures to reduce, reuse, and recycle packaging. Germany, who was one of the first countries to introduce an extended producer responsibility (EPR) system back in 1991, now recycle 90% of glass and 70% of composite packing under VerpackG. And in the UK legislation is due to be enacted in England next year to make companies recycle, compost and re-use 100% of waste by 2050.
Big changes are coming – and we won’t pretend that there isn’t room for improvement in what we do. But with our close focus on transparency, quality, and sustainability, at Maytoni we’re already lighting the way to a more environmentally responsible future.
