Four questions for ... Dr. Patrik Schmutz

Dr. Patrik Schmutz President of the Swiss Society for Surface Technology (SGO-SST) and Group Leader Electrochemistry at Empa. Interview: Robert Piterek

You are the president of the SGO. How important is resource conservation in the Swiss electroplating industry?

The topic is the focus of this year's conference because awareness in many industries in Switzerland is still a long way from an ideal situation. With the scarcity of resources, the energy debate and the war, many have only just become aware of the need to actively work on processes. We have a lot of small companies in Switzerland - until resource conservation is put into practice there, we first need a better awareness and an expert discussion. This is why we also listened to Didier Beloin-Saint-Pierre's presentation on determining the_{CO2 footprint} of surface processes. These models are not yet complete and suitable for direct use in industry, so the hurdles are far too high for many companies.

"Political motivation is needed for sustainability in industry!"

Our problem in Switzerland: without political will and more decision-making rights at federal level combined with better coordination between the cantons, nothing will change any time soon. In the EU and Germany, people are much more active and these ideas spread much faster there. In Switzerland, the necessary political pressure is currently lacking; there are only recommendations.

What was it like in the past?

Switzerland is a country that is very strong financially. There is therefore no absolute necessity to recycle or conserve resources. People often simply buy something new. As an anecdote, I would like to mention my trip to Bolivia. Poverty is high there and so is the need to recycle, which is very pronounced there. People always say that Switzerland is number 1 in recycling. That is wrong! Where there is an obligation to recycle products, it is done well. But in general, there is a lack of awareness of the value of metals and other recyclable materials. Twenty years ago there was a wave of awareness of this and now this awareness is possibly developing again if social pressure is built up.

How is the electroplating and surface technology sector structured in Switzerland?

We have around 200 companies in Switzerland, including suppliers. Most of them are small and medium-sized companies. There is a difference between western Switzerland, with its suppliers for the watch industry, and German-speaking Switzerland, where many companies work closely with Germany and also source their chemicals from Germany, for example. There are customer relationships with the automotive and aircraft industries as well as mechanical engineering. Switzerland has its own market in the construction sector with the anodization and galvanization of facades and components. The largest company here is BWB, which also has sites in Germany and Romania.

You are a scientist and president of the association. How do you assess the different surface processes?

The SGO wants to be a bridge between different technologies and also supports the combination with PVD and powder coating, for example. However, I consider wet-chemical processes to be much more flexible and easier to use industrially. There should be comparative life cycle analyses between electroplating and physical processes, because electrochemical processes are often criticized for requiring too much electricity. It is true that they are energy-intensive, but in electrochemical processes the current is switched on, metal is deposited and then switched off again. In the ultra-high vacuum PVD process, on the other hand, the systems run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They must not be switched off. This overall view is often not taken into account and I have often wondered why this is the case. Physical coaters criticize the power consumption in electroplating - but hardly their own.