Share of renewable energy expanded
The Environmental roadmap 2020–2025 calls for a variety of different measures to help the SFS Group reach its CO2 reduction targets. The respective country organizations are working to reach that goal and implementing a large number of measures.
Another three sites have been obtaining 100% of their electrical energy from renewable sources since 2022:
This reduces the Group’s CO2 emissions by 12,600 tons per year.
Other sites have also made great efforts to support the CO2 reduction targets of the SFS Group. Examples of this include the enormous expansions made to the existing photovoltaic installations in Malaysia and Switzerland in the past year, which have made it possible to save 4,400 tons of CO2 per year.
Small ideas with enormous savings potential
The idea of using existing compressors for heating or to generate warm water is one that was made into a reality at the site in Jánossomorja (Hungary). There, they took the waste heat from the existing compressor system and fed it into the existing heating and hot water systems to reduce energy costs by around 2%.
In the production facilities at the site in Wyomissing (USA), reusable Teflon sheets are being used in production instead of parchment paper. In the past, many different small-batch series have been stored on parchment-paper-lined trays to cool down after production. Replacing the parchment paper with reusable Teflon sheets not only reduced the amount of waste produced by 1 ton, but also improved the quality of the components.
Another innovative idea was implemented at the site in Valence (France): The electrical resistors previously used to dry the furnace belt have been deactivated and replaced by the hot air surrounding the furnace’s exhaust pipe. The idea has enabled the site to reduce its energy consumption by 86 MWh per year. This solution is also being examined for use at other sites and will be implemented where feasible.
Biodiversity promoted
A large-scale tree-planting campaign was organized by employees last year at the Medina (USA) site. The Environmental Protection and Occupational Health and Safety Officer prepared a comprehensive project plan in advance. Energy consumption was reduced considerably by selecting the most suitable varieties of trees and determining the right location for them to be planted. The newly planted trees provide shade and a noticeable evaporative cooling effect. Since the 62 trees also offer a habitat for small animals and insects, this campaign also contributes to biodiversity conservation efforts.
Sustainability Day becomes Group-wide awareness campaign
A Sustainability Day was held at the Heerbrugg (Switzerland) site for the first time in 2022. There, some 800 employees visited a variety of different booths where they learned new information about topics related to healthcare and occupational safety as well as SFS’s current sustainability initiatives. Employees submitted 120 ideas to the “sustainable improvements” contest, most of which have already been implemented or are currently in the process of being implemented. To raise employees’ awareness of sensibility-related topics going forward, this event idea will be carried on and implemented at additional sites as well.
