Switzerland-based Datwyler Group, a specialised manufacturer of elastomer components, continues to pursue its long-term goal of carbon neutrality.
In its twelfth sustainability report, published 15 July, the company reported that in 2019, its focus on resource-friendly production had once again paid off. Datwyler has set itself ambitious objectives up to 2020, based on average values to be achieved each year as measured against the generated revenue, to create room for growth.
In 2019, the company successfully reduced its relative resource consumption across the board, and achieved its ambitions in three out of four resources, missing only the fuels target. Electricity use was down 3.2%, consumption of fuels was 0.5% lower, water use was reduced by 15.0%, and the volume of waste produced decreased by 5.5%, as measured against the generated revenue.
The company achieved these results, among others, through the installation of a new closed cooling circuit for the mobility production facility in its Swiss plant. The use of groundwater for air conditioning, ventilation and certain processes has reduced electricity demand by over 60 % compared with a conventional solution based on chillers.
Since 2012, this plant has run on electricity sourced from hydropower and originating from certified ‘naturemade basis’ power plants. The resulting reduction in CO2 emissions amounts to around 2,300 tonnes a year. The Swiss production site has been sourcing process and heating energy from a nearby wood- fired heating plant since 2008. This allows Datwyler to save around 500,000 litres of heating oil a year and reduce annual CO2 emissions by another 1,300 tonnes or so a year.
In 2019, Datwyler also invested in future electricity and energy efficiency; its Italian plant in Pregnana, near Milan put a modern trigeneration unit into operation powered by natural gas. The unit generates 1.2 MW of electrical energy and heat for heating purposes and production processes and will reduce purchased electricity by more than 70% and CO2 emissions by some 900 tonnes per year.
In addition, of the three processing units for multiple water usage which Datwyler is installing at its Belgian plant in Alken, two were taken into operation over the past year.
Datwyler reported that in absolute terms, its CO2 output rose 1.2% to 89,388 tonnes, up from 88,310 tonnes last year, but the relative CO2 emissions per revenue unit decreased by 5.5% for the second year in a row.
According to the company, an interdisciplinary project group is currently working on “further advancing the sustainability and climate strategy with the long-term goal of carbon neutrality.”