A clear comparison using standard values
Recycling companies and waste-to-energy installations are examining their CO₂ emissions more critically. Not only because customers and partners demand it, but also because European regulations — such as CBAM — are making steel flows more expensive and less predictable. As a result, the question increasingly arises:
“What does switching from steel baling wire to plastic binding wire mean in CO₂ terms?”
In this blog, we provide a clear answer. No complicated formulas, but a reliable comparison based on internationally recognised standard values. This gives you a realistic view of how much CO₂ you save when you replace steel baling wire with EcoWire or R-EcoWire.
Standard CO₂ values for steel and plastics
For this comparison, we use values commonly applied in lifecycle analyses worldwide:
1,000 kg steel → approx. 1,900 kg CO₂
1,000 kg PET (virgin) → approx. 2,500 kg CO₂
1,000 kg rPET (recycled) → approx. 600 kg CO₂
It is important to emphasise that you do not replace one kilogram of steel with one kilogram of plastic. EcoWire is much lighter, meaning you need significantly less material for the same functionality.
How much plastic wire replaces 1 tonne of steel wire?
Plastic binding wire has a much lower density than steel. In practice, companies achieve 60–75% weight reduction for the same application.
To calculate safely and conservatively, we assume 40% of the original weight. This means: 1,000 kg of steel baling wire is typically replaced by around 400 kg of EcoWire.
This makes the comparison fair and applicable to most baling installations.
A concrete example: 10,000 kg of steel wire per year
Many recycling companies consume between 10,000 and 50,000 kg of steel wire annually.
Here we calculate with 10,000 kg.
CO₂ emissions from steel
10,000 kg × 1.9 kg CO₂/kg = 19,000 kg CO₂
CO₂ emissions from EcoWire (virgin PET)
10,000 kg steel → approx. 4,000 kg EcoWire
4,000 kg × 2.5 kg CO₂/kg = 10,000 kg CO₂
Annual savings: approx. 9,000 kg CO₂
CO₂ emissions from R-EcoWire (recycled PET)
4,000 kg × 0.6 kg CO₂/kg = 2,400 kg CO₂
Annual savings: approx. 16,600 kg CO₂
What do 9 to 17 tonnes of CO₂ actually mean?
CO₂ figures can feel abstract. To make the impact tangible, we translate the savings into familiar comparisons.
For EcoWire (approx. 9 tonnes saved):
roughly five return flights Amsterdam–Dubai
around 36,000 km driven in a diesel van
the annual CO₂ absorption of about 350 mature trees
For R-EcoWire (approx. 16.6 tonnes saved):
roughly eleven return flights Amsterdam–Dubai
more than 66,000 km driven in a diesel truck
the yearly absorption of about 650 trees
Even with conservative assumptions, the impact is substantial.
Why EcoWire reduces more CO₂ in practice than the material calculation suggests
The calculations above only consider the emissions linked to material production. In reality, EcoWire delivers additional CO₂ savings because it simplifies several steps in the process.
When using steel wire, bales must first be stripped of metal before they can enter the WtE furnace. This requires time, energy and internal logistics — all of which lead to extra CO₂ emissions. EcoWire burns away completely, meaning this entire step disappears and the process becomes faster and more efficient.
EcoWire also creates no metal residue. Steel scrap must be stored, collected and transported, which again consumes energy and generates emissions. Without a metal waste stream, the process becomes cleaner, shorter and more predictable.
In daily operations, this results in a lower total footprint than material use alone would suggest.
When is EcoWire a suitable replacement?
EcoWire performs very well in RDF, SRF, biomass and plastic flows, and in automatic horizontal balers where predictable knotting and high throughput are essential. In WtE environments, it offers the added advantage that bales can enter the furnace without any additional handling.
However, EcoWire is not always the best choice. In extremely heavy material flows or with older tying systems that do not work well with plastic profile wire, steel wire may still be necessary.
That is why we always assess your installation, material flow and process stability together — to determine whether EcoWire is the right fit and where it delivers real advantages.
Conclusion: switching pays off — especially in CO₂ terms
Even with conservative assumptions, switching from steel wire to EcoWire or R-EcoWire results in a clear and reproducible CO₂ reduction:
approx. 9 tonnes CO₂ per year with EcoWire
approx. 16.6 tonnes CO₂ per year with R-EcoWire
Based on an annual use of only 10,000 kg of steel wire.
For companies aiming to reduce emissions while simplifying their baling process, EcoWire is a logical, practical and technically reliable alternative.
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