Civil Engineering June 2021 | Vol 29 No 5

4 June 2021 Civil Engineering On the cover I n the case of Molecor SA, this problem is not as serious as it can be for other processing industries. Thanks to its optimised technology for the manufacture of PVC-O pipes and fittings, the need for raw material to obtain the final product is much less than the manufacture of other similar products, thus complying with SDG 12, related to responsible production and consumption. An objective that the com- pany also complies with is an Integrated Management System based on the UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 and UNE-EN ISO 14001:2015 standards, which focus on continuous improvement. The exceptional mechanical properties of Molecor’s TOM® pipes and ecoFITTOM® fittings, obtained through the molecular orientation process, allow this very important saving in raw materials. TOM® and ecoFITTOM® require up to 50% less PVC for the same outside diameter. As a result of this reduced need for raw materials, TOM® Class 500 pipes and ecoFITTOM® PVC-O fittings offer 15% to 40% more hydraulic capacity than pipes made of other materials with comparable external diameters (PVC-U, PE, ductile iron). They will always give the best ef- ficiency between the investment cost and the available hydraulic capacity, making them more competitive products and, at the same time, more efficient and sustain- able. Thanks to their complete sealing and long service life, they are also the best ally in saving water resources. In addition, they comply with SDG 6 related to clean water and sanitation, since these pipes and fittings have a long useful life that guarantees total water quality. A CIRCULAR APPROACH Reducing the consumption of raw materials is a common objective at the international level in the field of sustainable development and it is an State-of-the-art technology to deal with the raw materials crisis The global plastics converting industry faces a hitherto unknown shortage of raw materials. This situation endangers the economic survival of many SMEs as well as the production of different products and, ultimately, end users can also suffer damage due to interruptions or delays in the delivery of products. Figure 1 PVC-O pipes require significantly less raw material Figure 2 Comparison of hydraulic capacity: TOM® PVC-O pipes vs other materials (constant load loss) Percentage (%) 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 External diameter (mm) PVC-O PN 16 Ductile Iron HDPE PN16 PVC-U PN16 1 200 1 100 1 000 900 800 700 600 500 450 400 350 300 250 225 200 150 125 100 80