Green Mission: Environmental initiative of Sunlight Recycling for the proper recycling of lead-acid batteries

Sunlight Recycling, member of Olympia Group, owned by Panos Germanos, presented on Tuesday December the 6th, the environmental initiative Green Mission, which has the ambition to boost public and enterprise awareness of the right way of recycling lead-acid batteries. Green Mission brings together institutions and numerous companies operating in the Greek as well as global market place and activates them in order to communicate the consequences of wrong lead-acid battery recycling and the benefits of the right way.

It is worth noting that, in Greece, the problem that Green Mission is aiming to address is especially important, since only 50% of the used lead-acid batteries is collected and recycled, whereas the respective figure in Europe reaches 95%. At the same time, a large percentage of used batteries are recycled illegally with particularly negative effects on the Greek economy and the country’s environment.

The objectives of the environmental initiative Green Mission is the following:

–Raise the public and enterprise awareness of the benefits generated from recycling lead-acid batteries the right way

-The active assist country’s effort in achieving its environmental targets related to the indices for lead-acid batteries collection and recycling

Several actions surrounding this program are already in progress: during the first 2-year period, Green Mission targets greater awareness on the issue through communication to 14,000 Greek companies which generate and/or manage significant quantities of industrial lead-acid battery waste. Already, 30 large corporations from various business sectors have actively joined the Green Mission initiative.

Under this scope, the dedicated website www.greenmission.gr was created aiming to become a reliable source of information for issues related to the recycling of old lead-acid batteries. Both individuals and companies have the opportunity to receive information with regards to the right recycling of old lead-acid batteries, about the legislation in effect, etc.

The Green Mission initiative is supported by SEPAN (Federation of Recycling and Energy Recovery Industries and Enterprises) and the companies – members that have until this moment joined are (in alphabetical order): ABB, ACE POWER ELECTRONICS, AEIFOROS, ALTER EGO, ATTIKES DIADROMES, ATTIKI ODOS, BARBA STATHIS, CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY, CORINTH PIPEWORKS, DELTA, ELVAL, ENGIE, HALCOR, HELLENIC CABLES, HERON GROUP OF COMPANIES, HYGEIA HOSPITAL, IDE INTRACOM, ISOMAT, IT SPARKLES, JOTIS FOOD, KION ARCHITECTS, NOVA, PUBLIC, RAYCAP, SIDENOR, SYMETAL, SYSTEMS SUNLIGHT, TERRA NOVA, TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING, TYRAS, HALCOR.

Mr. S. Kopolas, General Manager of Sunlight Recycling, stated that: “As a company which has proved in practice the benefits generated from the right recycling process, in both business and environmental levels, we have the ambition to communicate and transmit our philosophy for greater sensitivity and awareness to an even larger audience. Thanks to monitoring and control of battery waste materials’ journey from their primary source until the final recycling point, as well as with the use of best in class environmentally friendly technologies already offered by Sunlight Recycling, we guarantee the minimal, if not zero, effect on the environment. Furthermore, with the use of cutting-edge technologies, properly recycled products of pure lead and mixtures are redirected into industrial production according to the principles of the circular economy.”

All member companies of Green Mission share the common values of consistency, respect and circular-economy-based-entrepreneurship, demonstrating at the same time their commitment towards the right management and recycling of waste materials related to lead-acid batteries.