In 2020 alone, as many as 28.2% of the damaged bumpers on cars belonging to member policyholders of ICMIF member LB Forsikring were repaired instead of being thrown out. This saved 13.7 tonnes of plastic last year by not using new bumpers and simply repairing the damaged ones instead.
For many years, damage to car bumpers in Denmark meant that the old bumper was thrown out and replaced with a new one. However, this way of thinking is now being challenged by many insurance companies in Denmark who would rather repair than throw it out. This saves the environment the unnecessary consumption of plastic.
At LB Forsikring, a minimum of 25% of damage to bumpers has been repaired since 2017 instead of replacing them, and in 2020 the number of repairs was as high as 28.2%.
“The most important thing for us is of course that our members get a car back from the workshop, where the damage has been corrected and safety is in order, but if it can be done with a repair instead there is no reason for us to throw bumpers out. In this way, we can save both the environment from overconsumption and the members some money,” says Steen Holse Andersen, Chief Commercial Officer at LB Forsikring and Chairman of Taksatorringen, the Danish technical organisation which assesses motor vehicle damage for member insurance companies which together insure a third of the car market in Denmark.
“In Taksatorringen, we have focused for several years on talking to the workshops about repairing instead of replacing when it comes to plastic bumpers and glass panes. We are really happy to see that it is gaining traction and that many of our members have a high percentage of repairs when it comes to damage to car bumpers. In 2020, Taksatorringen repaired 24.7% of plastic bumpers in total for all our member companies,” says Marianne Wier, Director of Taksatoringen.
50 tonnes of plastic saved
At LB Forsikring, they are happy that they have succeeded in repairing so many bumpers that since 2017 they have not needed to buy 50 tonnes of new plastic bumpers.
“It makes a lot of sense to repair or recycle materials if possible – also in the insurance industry. We all have a responsibility to think about sustainability where we can. It is also an agenda we know our our members are thinking about more and more,” says Steen Holse Andersen.
In December 2020, LB Forsikring conducted a survey among 1416 of their members, and here their relationship to recycling was part of the questions.
“Our member survey showed that as many as 45% of the members surveyed would choose to have their car repaired with recycled parts if they could. This shows me that we are only at the beginning of thinking about repairs and recycling as part of our damage coverage. It will be much bigger and more important in the coming years,” says Steen Holse Andersen.
