Palmer Holland In the News

It’s been estimated 75 million windshields are damaged and need replacement in the world every year. With the global number of vehicles continually growing and already numbering over a billion, this is a natural but unfortunate consequence. The challenge is the majority end up in landfills, losing any advantage to being transformed into useable raw materials that helps enhance the performance of products, while making them more environmentally friendly.

With the growing awareness and demand for increased sustainability across industries and society, there comes an acknowledgement that the world has limited natural resources, with fossil-fuel-based products causing significant environmental challenges. Current methods of disposal for such products often involve landfills – leading to increased CO² emissions, air pollution and harm to natural habitats. Danish cleantech company, Shark Solutions, has changed this paradigm with a long-term approach to sustainability.

Shark Solutions is a company with a mission: to rework broken windshields into raw materials for industries. Through doing this, Shark Solutions CEO, Jens Holmegaard, believes that his company can not only be successful, but show that “No longer must business choose between being environmentally friendly or economically driven, they’re not mutually exclusive, they can both be attained together.”

Shark Solutions separates the glass from the PVB interlayer of a windshield and upcycles both into new raw materials for paints, flooring, building products, automotive products and more.

The benefits of using upcycled raw materials from a former waste stream is quickly evident; with Shark Solutions’ process reducing landfill and carbon emissions, while demonstrating a sustainable and profitable business model.

As an example, French paint manufacturer, ID and flooring industry pioneer, Interface, benefit greatly from Shark Solutions’ processes. Interface, recognising the inextricable connections between the flooring industry and fossil fuels even in the 1990s, has made use of Shark Solutions’ PVB when developing a more sustainable approach to its supply chain and procurement. ID, as a paint manufacturer, provides paints across Europe, Asia and the US. PVB from Shark Solutions proves ideal in 50% renewable paint – a first for the paint industry. Such solutions not only benefit the companies currently making use of them, but also demonstrate to wider industries that sustainable alternatives are possible and the increasing demand from consumers for such products can be met.

In alignment with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals – five of which Shark Solutions’ activities are in keeping with – a sustainable future is a priority. When facing climate change and global warming, collaboration becomes key.

Shark Solutions’ commitment to upcycling and to demonstrating that a path forward is achievable, helps prove to other companies that positive and sustainable action can be done in an economically viable manner.

Learn more about Shark Solutions