WRA: REFRACTORIES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR DAILY LIVES

Safe and responsible operations need to continue

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, the temporary closing of non-essential businesses and other efforts to keep COVID-19 from overwhelming hospital and healthcare facilities are creating challenges for many countries and across many industries. Governing bodies must keep essential businesses open that support health systems operations and guarantee public safety and national security. Refractories should be recognized as a critical industry that must continue to operate.

REFRACTORIES: VITAL TO INDUSTRY

Refractories play a critical role in the daily operations of almost every sector of manufacturing. These ceramic materials are essential for all heat-intensive production processes. Without refractories, important industries and the products they produce would not exist. Whether it is the ambulances we drive, the hospitals we use, the roads we rely on, the medical equipment that we need, the communications tools we use, the waste we need to incinerate, or the medicines we take, the world we know would not exist without refractories.

In the context of COVID-19, our customers in the steel, aluminum, copper, glass, chemicals, energy, waste management and pulp & paper industries are directly responsible for supplying the primary materials used to produce desperately needed items such as hospital beds, ambulances, respirators, face masks, and other medical devices. Their production processes cannot occur without refractories, even in the short term.

HEALTH AND SAFETY ARE INDUSTRY PRIORITIES

We must continuously produce refractories because they are critical components in almost all products’ supply chains. At the same time, our top priority is, and always has been, the safety and well-being of our industry employees and the communities in which they operate.

Because the refractory industry is globally connected through WRA, from the earliest stages of the COVID-19 threat, refractory manufacturers have been proactive in taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of all those who work in our industry. This includes complying with all recommendations and directives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and all national, regional, and local organizations in response to COVID-19. Refractory industry employees who can work remotely are doing so. In facilities that must continue to produce refractories, the highest COVID-19 safety and hygiene protocols are fundamental to manufacturing operations. These include, but are not limited to, social distancing measures, continual sanitizing and disinfecting of workplaces, use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and minimization of staff interactions.

Refractories will always be an essential industry that is vital to the manufacturing of countless goods that ensure the safety and security of our global community. As governing bodies across the globe continue to assess industries, the refractories industry must be placed within this essential business category.

ABOUT THE WORLD REFRACTORIES ASSOCIATION

World Refractories Association is a forum to debate regulatory issues affecting global trade, circulate aggregated industry statistics, and promote the interests of the worldwide refractory industry. It also serves as a counterpart to other world industry organizations. The WRA currently consists of six major refractory industry associations and 16 multinational companies.

Los coronavirus son una amplia familia de virus que normalmente afectan sólo a animales. Algunos tienen la capacidad de transmitirse de los animales a las personas. El nuevo coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 es un nuevo tipo de coronavirus que puede afectar a las personas y se ha detectado por primera vez en diciembre de 2019 en la ciudad de Wuhan, provincia de Hubei, en China.

Todavía hay muchas cuestiones que se desconocen en relación a la enfermedad que produce: COVID-19.

Descargar dossier completo en .PDF

There is only one planet Earth, yet by 2050, the world will be consuming as if there were three1. Global  consumption  if materials such as biomass, fossil fuels, metals and minerals is expected to double in the next forty years2, while annual waste generation is projected to increase by 70% by 20503.

As half of total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress come from resource extraction and processing, the European Green Deal4 launched a concerted strategy for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy. Scaling up the circular economy from front-runners to the mainstream economic players will make a decisive contribution to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and decoupling economic growth from resource use, while ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the EU and leaving no one behind.

To fulfil this ambition, the EU needs to accelerate the transition towards a regenerative growth model that gives back to the planet more than it takes, advance towards keeping its resource consumption within planetary boundaries, and therefore strive to reduce its consumption footprint and double its circular material use rate in the coming decade.

For business, working together on creating the framework for sustainable products will provide new opportunities in the EU and beyond.

This progressive, yet irreversible transition to a sustainable economic system is an indispensable part of the new EU industrial strategy. A recent study estimates that applying circular economy principles across the EU economy has the potential to increase EU GDP by an additional 0.5% by 2030 creating around 700 000 new jobs5. There is a clear business case for individual companies too: since manufacturing firms in the EU spend on average about 40% on materials, closed loop models can increase their profitability, while sheltering them from resource price fluctuations.

Building on the single market and the potential of digital technologies, the circular economy can strengthen the EU’s industrial base and foster business creation and entrepreneurship among SMEs. Innovative models based on a closer relationship with customers, mass customisation, the sharing and collaborative economy, and powered by
digital technologies, such as the internet of things, big data, blockchain and artificial intelligence, will not only
accelerate circularity but also the dematerialisation of our economy and make Europe less dependent on
primary materials.

For citizens, the circular economy will provide high-quality, functional and safe products, which are efficient and affordable, last longer and are designed for reuse, repair, and high-quality recycling.

A whole new range of sustainable services, product-as-service models and digital solutions will bring about a better quality of life, innovative jobs and upgraded knowledge and skills.

This Circular Economy Action Plan provides a future-oriented agenda for achieving a cleaner and more competitive Europe in co-creation with economic actors, consumers, citizens and civil society organisations. It aims at  accelerating the transformational change required by the European Green Deal, while building on circular economy actions implemented since 20156. This plan will ensure that the regulatory framework is streamlined and made fit
for a sustainable future, that the new opportunities from the transition are maximised, while minimising burdens on people and businesses.

The plan presents a set of interrelated initiatives to establish a strong and coherent product policy framework that will make sustainable products, services and business models the norm and transform consumption patterns so that no
waste is produced in the first place. This product policy framework will be progressively rolled out, while key product value chains will be addressed as a matter of priority. Further measures will be put in place to reduce waste and ensure that the EU has a well-functioning internal market for high quality secondary raw materials. The capacity of
the EU to take responsibility for its waste will be also strengthened.

Europe will not achieve transformative change by acting alone. The EU will continue to lead the way to a circular economy at the global level7 and use its influence, expertise and financial resources to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This plan aims also at ensuring that the circular economy works for people, regions and cities, fully contributes to climate neutrality and harnesses the potential of research, innovation and digitalisation.
It foresees the further development of a sound monitoring framework contributing to measuring well-being beyond GD.

More information – download .PDF

CANCELADO El X Congreso Nacional de Materiales, Maquinaria y Montaje de Refractarios que se iba a celebrar del 18 al 19 de noviembre de 2020, en Málaga.

Os avisaremos de nuevas fechas.

Las reuniones de los distintos comités trataron los temas de gran interés para las empresas involucradas; la traducción del libro “ Refractory Engineering” en el caso del Comité Técnico y la III Edición del Curso Ingeniería de Refractarios en el caso del Comité de Montadores.  En cuanto al libro debería estar listo para el verano y el curso tendrá lugar el año que viene en Gijón.

En cuanto a la Junta Directiva al tratarse de la primera reunión del año se tocaron temas como de gran interés para los asociados. Se aprobó la liquidación del presupuesto del año 2019, se presentaron los presupuestos generales de ingresos y gastos para el 2020, las nuevas cuotas que se aplicaran a los asociados teniendo en cuenta el escalo de cuotas aprobado durante el 2019.

Durante el 2020 tendrán lugar en dos Congresos realizados por ANFRE, el primero será el Congreso anual que realiza la PRE y que en está ocasión se realiza en Madrid con ANFRE como anfitrión. Dicho Congreso tendrá lugar del 3 al 5 de junio en el Hotel Ayre Gran Colón. El segundo será la X Congreso Nacional de Materiales, Maquinaria y Montaje de Refractarios, congreso que tendrá lugar los días 18 y 19 de Noviembre en Málaga.

Una vez finalizadas la reuniones los asistentes pudimos disfrutar de una agradable comida ofrecida por ANFRE , comida en la que pudimos charlas y ponernos al día de las últimas novedades del sector.

Queríamos agradecer a todos los asistentes la confianza depositada en ANFRE día tras día, sin todos vosotros esto no sería posible.

Os esperamos a todos en Junio.