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About Green Friction

Sustainable Friction Recycling

Globally, thousands of tons of friction materials and filter dusts are disposed every year.


Friction recycling saves money, CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) and enables Green Marketing.


It is obvious that sustainable friction recycling is becoming more and more important. Apart from the established decision factors product, price and quality – Sustainability has become the fourth sourcing decision dimension, and CO2eq a powerful currency.


Green Friction® is the solution for 

Sustainable Friction Recycling

The BSFZ seal certifies companies that have received at least one positive ruling from the Certification Office for Research Allowance (BSFZ) for their R&D activities.

26

Years of Experience

1 ton

CO2 eq saved every 50 -100 vehicle sets*

Up to


92 %

less CO2eq


Up to

80 %

friction material cost saving 

Up to


21 US¢

Saving per Brake PAD

Up to


19 kg CO2eq

saving per Brake vehicle Set*

* Source: Ramboll Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 2022

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

  • The company Ramboll performed a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) in 2022 to answer the question: How much more sustainable are friction materials with recycling content vs. those using only virgin materials?
  • The key finding from the results of the LCA study is that environmental performance across all impact categories improves with increasing recycled content
  • A LCA is a standardized approach to assess product sustainability, conforming to ISO 14040/14044 and was monitored by an independent review panel of three reviewers
DOWNLOAD LCA STUDY

Sustainable Friction Material Recycling

The Six steps of the Friction recycling loop

THE SIX STEPS OF THE FRICTION RECYCLING LOOP

1. Use

Friction materials are used in numerous industries and applications; Cars, trucks, motorcylces, trains as well as numerous industrial applications all brake with friction materials.

2. Collect

Production scrap and used friction materials are the input materials;

The Mercedes-Benz MeRSy Recycling System is a good example for input material collection: For the last 23 years now, all car and truck pads and linings dismounted in all German Mercedes-Benz dealerships are collected and transported to RMS for recycling.

3. Separate

The friction material is separated from the metal parts, such as backing plates, shims, springs, wear indicators or weights. All metal parts undergo material utilization.

4. Process

Friction materials from either grinding dust or solid fractions are milled and treated according to the respective specifications. If necessary, additional materials or binders are added.

5. Optimize

The products are sieved, mixed and optimized according to the respective specification and grain size distribution. The product is now finished and ready for use.

6. Reuse

The finished recycled friction material, called FRICTION BASE MATERIAL, is either delivered to the customer or undergoes an additional mixing process where binders such as resins as well as virgin materials are added to produce a complete ready-mix.

Virgin friction materials generate enormous amounts of Greenhouse Gases and consume vast amounts of energy

Friction raw materials and their route of transport to the production site (example)

  • Raw materials are mined and treated all over the world and then shipped to the respective production countries 
  • Before the final product reaches the customer, a brake pad may have already travelled around the world
  • Landfilling of used friction and filter materials is contrary to the idea of a circular economy
  • We all experience brake pads and linings in their use phase, but with respect to sustainability, what happens before and after is just as important
 
 

Status Quo -
Very limited recycling of friction materials

  • In the EU 150.000 tons of friction materials are produced annually*
  • Only about 50% is used when parts are exchanged, therefore ~ 75.000 tons are disposed as hazardous waste or smelted in furnaces, leading to land and air pollution
  • An estimated 22.000 tons of filter dusts are accumulated annually in the EU*
  • Globally, a multiple of these European scrap values are achieved, the global environmental impacts of disposing friction materials and filter dusts are obvious

* ENV/D/000537, European Commission, L., Recycle friction material - pilot realization of the material cycle of friction materials

Materials

Recycling SolutionS

Used Brake Pad & Lining Recycling

After their respective use phase in cars, trucks, motorcylces, trains or industrial applications, about half of the friction material remains unused when the friction products are exchanged. These materials are collected and transported to RMS where they undergo the different friction recycling process steps. The resulting FRICTION BASE MATERIAL is one ingredient for new friction material formulations. Accordingly, the material is not discarded, but used again according to the circular economy notion.

Friction Dust Recycling

Every brake pad and lining undergoes a grinding step once the material is fully cured, to ensure dimensional specifications, apply chamfers, slots or wear indicator cavities. Very fine friction dust is the result, which is difficult to handle and may cause subsequent wear or fading issues when reintroduced into the production loop without treatment due to its small particle size. RMS recycles cured friction dusts and turns them into a FRICTION BASE MATERIAL which can be used both homogeneously in the same production line or in other applications.

Production Scrap Recycling

Every friction production site generates a certain percentage of scrap material and cured friction dust. Instead of disposing these valuable resources – causing pollution and costs – RMS turns them into FRICTION BASE MATERIAL that are once again used in the friction industry. These can be treated separately, so that for example friction materials without copper or antimony from a respective production line can be recycled homogeneously.

Sustainable Friction Recycling makes sense because

it is a valuable raw material

It saves energy, CO2 and other Greenhouse Gases

it fulfills OE and Aftermarket specifications

 it decreases dependency on raw material supplies and the global supply chain

 it saves procurement spending and disposal costs

 it is what all stakeholders are asking for

 Green marketing is THE competitive advantage of the future

Green Friction FAQ's

SUSTAINABLE FRICTION MATERIAL RECYCLING

It improves the product carbon footprint and the results of all nine impact categories in the independent life cycle assessment according to ISO 14040 / 14044.

Not at all: All input materials are re-used instead of being scrapped, so it’s actually pretty clean.

Because it saves resources, CO2 emissions and real money.

Nope. They have to pass the same tests and meet the same specifications.

Not any time soon. The friction market is forecasted to grow for the next decades to come

Strong Partners

We appreciate your work and are proud to work with you.

RMS SELLS FRICTION MATERIAL READY MIXES BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT
GREEN FRICTION® RECYCLING GRANULATES TO CUSTOMERS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:


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Looking for a SUSTAINABLE FRICTION RECYCLING SOLUTION?
Need A cost-effective Friction Base Material or Ready-Mix?

Contact us

SUSTAINABLE FRICTION MATERIAL RECYCLING

It is obvious that sustainable friction material recycling is becoming more and more important. Apart from the established decision factors product, price and quality, SUSTAINABILITY

is now the fourth dimension, and CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) a powerful currency.


Sustainable friction material recycling makes sense because:


• it is a valuable raw material 

• it saves energy, COand greenhouse gases

• it fulfills OE and Aftermarket specifications 

• it decreases dependency on raw material supplies and the global supply chain

• it saves procurement spending and disposal costs

• it is what all stakeholders are asking for

GREEN MARKETING is THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF THE FUTURE

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