Curtains that prevent freight falling from lorry trailers on Europe’s motorways are being turned into fashionable bags. Moreover Freitag, a Swiss bag manufacturer, is getting a say in the curtain colours to ensure they are ideal for their life beyond the road and distribution depot.
It’s part of a circular business project initiated by DLL, a finance company, and trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull to uncover the true value of trailers, even at the end of their lives.
As part of the project, DLL brought together specialists from inside and outside the traditional supply chain including Oellerking, which makes curtains, service company Lammers, recycler Thyssen Steel Recycling, and Freitag. They realised there was substantial value beyond the usual 15-20 year trailer lifespan, a value that Schmitz Cargobull hadn’t previously tapped.
Schmitz Cargobull is now leasing refurbished trailers that have the look and feel of a three-month-old trailer, recycling others and, with Freitag’s help, turning trailer curtains into sought-after bags.
DLL’s “life cycle asset management” programme covers the economic management of physical assets throughout their technical life.
In 2014 DLL began a range of circular economy pilots including second-life car leasing, financing refurbished MRI scanners and redeploying pre-owned copier machines on a pay-per-use basis in new markets. But it regards the Schmitz Cargobull programme as one of its most successful.
As well as recycling curtains into bags, the project involved trailer disassembly, assessing the re-usability of trailer parts, recycling assessments and pilots on trailer scrapping and refurbishment.
The project has faced a wide range of challenges from falling metal and aluminium prices – which have affected the value of scrap – to ensuring that the original truck curtains are made in an attractive range of colours for use in their second life.
