Sustainability has quickly become a priority across all industries, including accident repair, which traditionally produces high levels of waste. Many suppliers—and growing numbers of bodyshops—are now taking real steps toward greener practices. Autobiz spoke with Steve Smith, Mirka UK’s National Sales Manager, about the company’s sustainability initiatives and how it’s supporting Irish bodyshops in reducing their environmental impact.

Steve explained that sustainability is at the very core of the Mirka philosophy and within this, the company focuses on making the environment cleaner, having a positive impact on society and using resources wisely. He says, “Mirka has set some ambitious targets, for example achieving a 55% reduction of GHG emissions by 2035 and net zero by 2050.” He adds, “We also aim to reshape the abrasives sector and increase circularity by making 70% of our products recyclable by 2035, as well as moving towards dust free repair environments.”  

To achieve its own sustainability goals, Mirka works with like-minded partners, especially in areas such as raw material supply. It also strives to make its manufacturing and distribution functions as environmentally responsible as possible. To this end, the latest ground breaking initiative from Mirka is a €25 million circular grain manufacturing plant in Jeppo, Finland. This will utilise waste streams from the industry, as well as abrasive waste from both production and end users, to process and produce new circular grains to be used in new abrasives. The plant will be the first of its kind in the world, shifting focus from a linear model to the first ever circular concept in the global abrasives industry, thus reducing waste and the need for raw materials. 

Closer to home, Mirka is also working with many of Ireland’s progressive accident repair centres to help them move towards a more sustainable future.  Steve says, “We are in close contact with our end users in Ireland and find more and more are now taking their environmental responsibility very seriously. To help them, our team can carry out an assessment of their operations and identify direct action areas where they can be more sustainable. “   

Getting the most out of Mirka products, both abrasives and equipment is one priority, as when the right products form part of an efficient repair process, this can lead to greatly reduced waste. Another key area is in energy saving and in particular in switching to standalone mobile workstations with dust extraction. Steve comments, “By switching to an electric power tool with an efficient brushless motor, there is potential to save as much as 90% of energy on a yearly basis, compared to using pneumatic tools.” As Steve points out, many centralised compressor systems are very inefficient, so by switching to the latest cordless electric tools, there is the potential for massive cost savings, as well as the associated environmental benefits. These Mirka tools are also built for long lasting quality and are designed to be recycled at the end of their lifetime, as well as offering benefits in terms of ergonomic design and operative monitoring, to increase comfort and well-being. 

Going had in hand with the environmental benefits of Mirka equipment are the benefits offered by next generation Mirka abrasives, such as Iridium and Galaxy. Not only do these abrasives offer excellent sanding quality, but also have a product life cycle assessment profile that means they have a greatly reduced impact on climate change, through less material usage and less wastage in production, as well as the products themselves lasting longer. 

Another key benefit of the Mirka abrasive and equipment combination, is the huge reduction in dust pollutant. Steve comments, “Removing excess dust from a workshop is a real game changer, in terms of quality, efficiency and environmental benefits. No matter how much you clean, dust will always come back as it can stay airborne for weeks. By removing the dust at source with efficient Mirka abrasives and mobile dust extraction you are not only protecting worker health, but also making the repair process fast and more cost efficient.”

Steve also points out that a dust free environment greatly reduces the possibility of reworks, means less valeting time and means that staff do not spend unnecessary time cleaning.  

Steve concludes, “Mirka takes sustainability very seriously and our product development is committed to ecodesign principles throughout the whole lifecycle. This allows us to minimise the environmental impact of our products, reduce waste and promote more circularity.” He adds, “We also recognise our customers own sustainability goals and will work with them to reduce energy, reduce waste, employ more efficient practices and create a healthier working environment.”