HOW AST PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT
AST protects the environment in three ways: 1.) With the aluminium material, 2.) By means of environmentally friendly powder coating, 3.) By taking numerous measures to avoid waste and carry out recycling during production, administration and logistics.

Aluminium is the subject of heated discussion among the environ- mentally conscious general public: it is too valuable to be used as a packing material that quickly ends up in the waste. However, as a material for durable products it is ideal. This is because it is hard- wearing and corrosion-resistant. There is no need for repeated pain- ting, rustproofing and other maintenance that burdens the environ- ment. The durability of the material alone makes it last longer than the other raw materials that are used in shutter manufacture. Where- as painted wooden shutters end up at the waste dump as special waste, aluminium shutters can also be recycled without problems a hundred years from now.
The second environmental aspect is the powder coating. On the one hand it protects the environ- ment in the manufacturing process, and on the other hand it makes aluminium shutters even more resistant. The cleaning medium is kept in a closed circuit during coating, even as far back as the pretreatment process. Dirty water is cleaned and led back to the process. The powder itself consists

of pigments that do not contain heavy metals, and is also solvent-free. Up to 98% of the powder is used for coating due to recovery during the process, and there are hardly any emissions. The environment is also taken into consider- ation in all other areas, from production to administration and logistics. Avoiding waste is the main objective, and separation ensures that the remaining waste is taken for recycling and disposal.
THE ADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATINGADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATING
Powder coating has many advantages. Powder-coated metals are:

- Visually attractive
- Protected from corrosion
- Scratch-proof
- Resistant to bending
- UV resistant
- Shock resistant
- Resistant to chemicals and the weather
These advantages make powder coating the most environmentally friendly and modern coating process.
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