Water consumption

Here at the MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP we use only purified salt-free water, i.e. pure water, for the production of our body care products. On the one hand this is a regulation, and on the other hand we can decide exactly which ingredients will be included …

Here at the MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP we use only purified salt-free water, i.e. pure water, for the production of our body care products. On the one hand this is a regulation, and on the other hand we can decide exactly which ingredients will be included in our products and which will not be allowed. Another advantage of salt-free water is that it is non-corrosive and its lack of abrasive action therefore extends the service life of the machines. Water is a component in almost all of the articles which we make and plays an enormously important role in the production of care products. We work with a top-of-the-range osmosis system in order to obtain salt-free water. About 90 litres of demineralised water can be obtained from 100 litres of tap water while 10 litres flow back into the waste water as salt concentrate (retentate). The osmosis unit separates the salt from the water by means of a filter system and returns the demineralised water, the pure water, to a buffer tank which is a kind of storage tank. The pure water can then be used to make the care products. The MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP has been continuously expanding its osmosis system since its acquisition in 2004. In 2017, we invested in a further system with additional buffer tanks in order to provide storage space commensurate with our increasing production capacity. Saving water was a particularly important aspect of the process for us. The additional buffer tanks provide interim storage for larger quantities of pure water. This means that the unit has to be started up less frequently and therefore cleaned less often. Every time the unit is started up, the entire system and all the membranes and pipes are thoroughly rinsed through with water for three minutes – water which ultimately ends up in the drains. “The wonderful thing about the new unit is that we can cut our start-up cycles by a third,” said maintenance manager Stefan Martin, clearly delighted at the benefits. “This saves huge amounts of water and waste water.” Other processes for the desalination of water, such as distillation by evaporation, consume much more energy and have not been used at the MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP for over 10 years. The osmosis system which we use is still the most efficient and ecological method of obtaining pure, salt-free water.

The MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP has been cleaning its production lines with steam since December 2017. Steam pipes were installed on the production vessels for this purpose and programmed with cleaning software. Emulsified liquids, i.e. mixtures containing fat, play a major role in the manufacture of body care products.…

The MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP has been cleaning its production lines with steam since December 2017. Steam pipes were installed on the production vessels for this purpose and programmed with cleaning software. Emulsified liquids, i.e. mixtures containing fat, play a major role in the manufacture of body care products. Therefore, the mixing vessels and pipelines require intensive cleaning. Conventional cleaning with several rinsing cycles used to take up to four hours. High amounts of detergent and huge volumes of water were needed to get the pipes and tanks completely free of grease. The steam cleaning process is now considerably faster – taking about half the time – and uses just half the amount of water. Only a fraction of the original amount of cleaning agent is used – another improvement which is not only positive in terms of the consumption of chemical agents but which also significantly reduces the quantities of polluted waste water. “We can generate a vast amount of energy in a very short time with the new steam process,” added maintenance manager Stefan Martin, “and the hot steam dissolves grease residues on the inside of the tank at great speed and with a gentle cleansing action.” After the steam cleaning treatment, the tanks and pipelines are free of grease, completely clean and ready for the production of new care products. Steam cleaning is an environmentally friendly and ecologically sound process which saves time, detergent and precious water.

After the filling process, a residual amount of the care products (bulk) is usually left in the pipes leading to the filling line. Without a pigging system, these production residues would have to be flushed out with huge amounts of water and detergent and disposed of as hazardous waste at a high cost. …

After the filling process, a residual amount of the care products (bulk) is usually left in the pipes leading to the filling line. Without a pigging system, these production residues would have to be flushed out with huge amounts of water and detergent and disposed of as hazardous waste at a high cost. There can be up to 600 kg of these residues per filling process and product. With the help of an electronically controlled pig, which is usually made of rubber or silicone, this residual quantity can be completely pushed forward through the pipeline with compressed air and then put into tubes and bottles. The intelligent system consists of a transmitting station, a receiving station and the pig. After the pig has passed through the pipes, there is virtually nothing sticking to the insides, leaving them easy to clean with steam and sparing considerable amounts of water and detergent, potentially saving around 1,000 litres of water and 10 kg of detergent per process. The amount of waste is also reduced. “There are only advantages to this system,” explained maintenance manager Stefan Martin. “The initial cost is high but the investment pays off due to the efficient use of the product compound,” he continued. “Added to this are the enormous savings in water, energy and detergent. There is therefore less impact on the environment and valuable resources are conserved.” The rubber stopper may seem innocuous but it packs a punch – it is a reliable aid for effective and environmentally friendly production. The MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP will also continue to rely on the proven pigging technology when purchasing new systems.

We have been working with Ecobulks since 2020. Compared to the IBC containers that were previously used Ecobulks made of steel have the advantage that they are beveled in such a way that less product sticks to them after emptying. This makes cleaning easier, saves water and helps to utilize the quantity produced more efficiently.…

We have been working with Ecobulks since 2020. Compared to the IBC containers that were previously used Ecobulks made of steel have the advantage that they are beveled in such a way that less product sticks to them after emptying. This makes cleaning easier, saves water and helps to utilize the quantity produced more efficiently. The containers are cleaned cleaned at dedicated cleaning stations. The surface jet, which has been in use since 2020 very efficient in terms of water consumption and can be cleaned in 15 minutes. We also save cleaning time and water in production by fully utilizing the boiler capacity of the boiler capacity (10 tons per batch). This allows us to optimize the ratio of batch in the boiler to cleaning. Because whether a production boiler works with a large or small it has to be cleaned after every use anyway. Converted This measure also has a positive effect on the water consumption of each individual product.