Ecological recycling for mb-microtec

The Berne-based microtechnology company is the inventor of the trigalight self-luminescent technology and the world market leader in its development and production. Tiny glass capillaries coated with coloured zinc sulphide and filled with tritium are transformed into real lamps. Their lighting power lasts for decades without any external energy input. Trigalight technology is used in the security and automotive sectors, in the aerospace industry and in the watch industry. Thanks to its traser watch brand, mb-microtec is the first company to bring a self-luminescent watch to the market.

As in most manufacturing processes, the production of trigalight generates waste, particularly in the form of scraps. The latter, containing low-level radioactive tritium, were previously packaged in gas-tight cylinders and stored temporarily. The Bernese company had long been looking for a way to recycle this waste in a more environment-friendly way. After years of preparation, its tritium recycling plant – unique in its kind and set up in 2019 in Niederwangen, – has been put into operation step by step in accordance with the guidelines issued by authorities. The plant is constantly being adapted and optimised. It operates on the same principle as a wastewater treatment plant: tritium is extracted from the trigalight, released by means of a filter and can then be entirely reused. The quality of the recycled gas is identical to that of the purchased tritium, and although large quantities of tritium can be processed, emissions remain relatively low. This is one of the strong arguments that led mb-microtec to develop such an automated station.

Introducing a genuine revolution in the world of watchmaking. traser is the first brand to offer self-luminescent watches produced in a sustainable manner. In a second phase, the products sold should also be able to be recovered and recycled, in addition to the recycling of the production waste generated.

With the commissioning of the world’s only active tritium recycling station, mb-microtec is taking a major further step towards sustainability and innovation: two aspects that have resulted in it being selected out of more than 240 companies as one of the six nominees for the Swiss Venture Club award. The award will be presented on March 10^th at the Kursaal Bern. The mere fact that it has been nominated confirms that the company has made the right choices to date and motivates it to continue on this path of innovation and sustainable development.

January 14, 2021