4,000 liters of Robin Loop were produced for this pilot project--which should materialize, according to Gérard Zoller. Peintures Robin

4,000 liters of Robin Loop were produced for this pilot project--which should materialize, according to Gérard Zoller. Peintures Robin

Each crisis has its solution. In the midst of a pandemic, when demand fell by 80% from Robin’s mostly professional customers, the Useldange's company with annual sales of €25m reinvented itself by producing hydroalcoholic gel.

Today, a shortage of raw materials (wood, steel, etc.) affects the construction sector. At the same time, the SuperDrecksKëscht (SDK) collects several thousand tonnes of paint per year, which is then incinerated. Robin therefore decided to collaborate with the recycling center to recover this unused material, and make new paints out of it. Resumed, reworked, rebalanced, it then passes a quality test to be placed in new pots through the new “Robin Loop” range.

Already 4,000 liters produced

The pilot project led to the marketing of 10 pallets, or 320 buckets in total, of 12.5 litres each. And given its success--almost all the stock has been sold, according to CEO Gérard Zoller--the company with 105 employees has already started production of new ones, aiming to achieve some consistency.

Precise prices and costs have yet to be determined. The investment is mainly calculated in working time to "set up the process of emptying old buckets, logistics, setting up a concrete quality system," he says. For now, we are only talking about white paint and professional customers. The range could be extended later.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam and has been translated and edited for Delano.