Standards

Network infrastructure specialist Wirewerks launches new sustainability initiative

Oct. 3, 2018

As a concrete example of the immediate impact of the new initiative, Wirewerks points to its new Open Spool product.

Wirewerks launches new sustainability initiative

Wirewerks, a manufacturer of network infrastructure solutions, has announced the global launch of a sustainability initiativeguiding the company’s manufacturing, packaging, transportation and internal operations. The company says the new program embraces the principles put forth in the EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program and those of Environment Canada’s Policy on Green Procurement.

These principles include: adopting an over-arching strategy to "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle;" affirmative actions to reduce waste products; minimization of packaging; use of recycled and recyclable materials in products and packaging; use of sustainable and renewable raw materials; transportation practices that are environmentally friendly.

As a concrete example of the immediate impact of the new initiative, Wirewerks points to its new Open Spool product. The company notes that custom-built optical fiber cable assemblies are a high-volume part of its business, and that the fragile glass fibers in these precision assemblies are subject to damage in shipping and handling.

Wirewerks re-examined the legacy packaging materials and techniques used for these products under its new sustainability initiative and realized that significant improvements could be made. As a result, these products are now packed with their delicate optical fiber cables coiled around a recyclable "Open Spool" made from recycled plastics in a minimalist design. Equally important, the new Open Spool is purpose-engineered to be reused - not recycled or discarded - as a valuable accessory in the installation of the fiber cables that it initially protected during shipping.

According to Jais Cohen, Wirewerks’ president, “Re-engineering a throwaway packaging device to give it a post-shipping life as a valuable installation accessory is a great example of the practical results of the Wirewerks Sustainability Initiative. Our families, our neighbors, our stakeholders and our customers expect us to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. Wirewerks’ new Sustainability Initiative will reduce our environmental impact, and our new Open Spool product is just one innovative example of how we are turning good intentions into practical results.”