Human beings live within an ecological system and everyone should take decisions which respect and protect this habitat. In his work Sivicultura oeconomica, published in 1713, Hans Carl von Carlowitz urged that wood should be used sustainably: in a specific period, use only that quantity of wood nature can let regrow. With the concept of sustainability, von Carlowitz wants to maximize the period of usage of a specific resource.
While long-term economic actions can often be aligned with ecological principles, these are taken into less account in decisions that only serve to maximise short-term profits. In fact, from a purely quantitative point of view, there is no difference between two products whose price and duration are in a fixed relationship (P/T = xP/xT, with P = price and T = duration).
From an economic point of view, however, there are differences. Investment in the longer-lasting product reduces administration and transport costs. However, its purchase also means tying up the invested capital. Therefore, in order to avoid upfront costs, it is not uncommon to use inexpensive products with a shorter lifespan. This choice, from an ecological point of view, amounts to a waste of resources, making it unsustainable.
Retrostop’s assessment from an ecological point of view
Speaking about ramp protection, sustainability can be measured on the basis of how long a protection is able to protect a ramp without loss of effectiveness.
The sustainability assessment therefore depends on the situation in which a specific protection is found. In the case of ramps that are hardly used, the wear of the protection is minimal, so that even qualitatively inferior protections can protect them well for years with a high level of sustainability.
However, if the use of a ramp is high, the period under consideration is reduced. In that case, the sustainability level of robust protectors differs significantly from less robust ones and becomes relevant for the decision.
• Material: The rubber compound used in Retrostop comes from the wear-resistant materials production sector, in which Guernaccini has been active for over 50 years. The properties of this rubber mean that the entire stress of the incoming truck is absorbed by the rubber lifter. Thus, in addition to the ramp, Retrostop also protects its own metal plate, which therefore requires no maintenance.
• Functionality: The vertical movement of the lifter allows it to move with the truck during loading and unloading, thus counteracting rubber abrasion. The result is a much longer and therefore more sustainable use of the rubber, which increases the resistance of the compound and minimises the frequency of maintenance.
• Structure: Retrostop is modular and each individual part is available as a spare part. If one part, usually the lifter and/or spring, wears out, only this part needs to be replaced to restore full functionality, thus limiting the use of resources to spare parts.
The business decision field is defined by various dimensions including economic, organisational and ecological aspects. Some of Retrostop's features belong to more than one dimension, such as the maintenance time of less than 20 seconds, which affects both economic and organisational aspects, or the two-year guarantee on the rubber lifter, which, manifesting Retrostop's extreme durability, affects also the ecological dimension.