Limit our environmental footprint
At the heart of our investment policy
Major focus on emissions and water reduction
Major focus on CO2 scope 1 & 2 emissions reduction: 3M€ investment 2022-25
Our commitment is a decrease of 10k mt of CO2 within six years - with initial 2030 targets already achieved in 2021. New local ambitions are under discussion.
- Continue to switch from gas-based electricity to renewable electricity (Work in progress: Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
- Significant investment in sensors for the capture, control and replacement by more efficient machinery and equipment
- Technology migration to low-temperature Vitrified process for Bonded Abrasives
- Manufacturing process certified by FEPA as sustainable
Major focus on water reduction: 1.3M€ investment 2022-25
Water withdrawal and reuse
We have reduced by -78% our water consumption vs. 2010
- Investments leading to the reduction of industrial water in our plants
- Fix water loss in our plants
- Reduction and optimisation of cleaning times and frequency
- Throughout 2022 switch from cooling towers to cold group installations: 30 k€ / 1,400 m3 saving
From 2010 reduced by
THE AMOUNT OF WATER CONSUMED BY OUR SITES
(Target 2025: further reduction of 8%)
1st priority on waste is to reduce what goes to landfill, and to reuse & recycle
Non-valorised waste: waste that goes to landfill
From 2010, reduced by
the amount of waste going to landfill.
- Continue recycling bonded wheels with support from R&D and external recycling companies
- Recycled grain in organic eco-centre
- Identify more valorisation solutions at Thin Wheel plants
- Regular review and follow-up of non-valorised waste in all our facilities (plants, offices, DCs)
Waste management / Valorised waste
- Enhance ways of valorising our waste through recycling
- Promote consideration of wasterials / secondary raw materials with R&D
- Promote quality at each step of the production process, including raw materials preparation
- Regular review and follow on resource consumption
Information technology
- IT is critical to driving our sustainability initiatives
- We give particular focus to the selection, utilisation and recycling of devices, as well as to the optimisation of infrastructure and storage of documents
Continually decreasing our waste
- Implementation of sensors to better monitor and analyse the real consumption of raw materials (e.g. grains, resins) and decrease overconsumption
- Investment in paper and plastic waste pressing machines at plants, e.g. at one of our plants waste collection and transport has halved, bringing a 50% reduction of CO2 emissions (650kg p/month)
- We have switched to printer paper made from 100% waste paper