Saving the environment – safeguarding the future
Sustainability can never be reduced to the matter of cost. We can´t afford not to be saving our planet for generations to come. Saving the environment is a matter of safeguarding the future. But sustainability can also be a cost saving tool in business – a tool that actually increases profits.
Saving the environment is not a question of why, the question is how
The concern about global warming has produced a new green awareness among consumers throughout the world. “Natural” and “organic” have become buzzwords, and many manufacturers have been able to contribute to this trend by implementing a supply chain management program that increases the benefits by becoming greener. Consumer goods companies today are well aware of that taking a stand for the environment is a key to establish trust and build your brand on the market.
Sustainability is a focus for many companies
As a matter of fact, when saving the environment becomes a message closely embedded in the company´s culture, not just in its marketing, the results are clear. Even financial markets have shown that firms driven by sustainability outperform others. For instance, at Unilever, its sustainable brands are growing 69 percent faster than the other brands. Similar actions can be found in many other large multinational corporations like Nike, focusing on minimizing waste; Adidas, creating a greener supply chain; and Walmart and IKEA increasing collaboration across their supply chains to optimize material usage and increase resource productivity.
Reduce footprint with energy efficiency
The manufacturing industry understands that adopting a sustainable business strategy can be a catalyst for innovation, all whilst reviewing purchase procedures, making manufacturing methods more efficient, reducing energy consumption, and purchasing energy saving machinery.
Energy efficiency can be improved, and carbon footprint dramatically reduced by using renewable energy sources, and you can install waste heat recovering systems that allow you to capture excess heat in production, converting it into new energy. Implementing production monitoring and a proactive maintenance strategy are also positive means to economize resources and reach a greener manufacturing plant.
Troax Group focus on sustainability
I have seen many examples of this, working as a journalist in the dynamic area of Sweden called Gnosjö Region. The manufacturing industry is a vital part of Sweden´s economic growth. Last year Sweden was ranked 1st in the Global Sustainability Index by Earth.Org and when it comes to the manufacturing industry in Gnosjö Region, it sets a good example for sustainability.
Many global brands and market leading enterprises are stemming from this entrepreneurial area. One of them is Troax, market leading developer and manufacturer of steel mesh panel solutions, protecting people, property, and processes around the world. Troax Group, with production plants in Hillerstorp (SE), Shanghai (CN), Chicago (US), Poznan (PL), Milan (IT) and Kingswinford (GB), is an excellent example of the local enterprise going global, still maintaining the close relationship to local suppliers, thus making the local community prosper.
“We do this in Hillerstorp, and we also do this in our other production plants around the world. My job is to implement best practice in environment issues, production flow and strategy, whenever we acquire a new company”, environment and quality manager Magnus Svantesson says.
Taking action against carbon footprint
The goal within Troax Group is striving towards a better and safer future. To reach that goal, efforts towards sustainable production and energy efficiency has the highest priority.
In 2018 the Hillerstorp unit of Troax made the transition from natural gas to biogas, and with electrical supply coming from renewable resources, CO2 emissions from production has been reduced to a minimum.
“According to company policy we always re-invest 50 percent of profit to develop our business”, Magnus says.
Proactive maintenance makes the most efficient possible use of these machinery resources – and all products are made from more than 50 percent recyclable steel. Read Troax Sustainability Report.
99 percent of posts and panels can be recycled!
“We also strive towards reducing raw material in our production, while still maintaining our high safety standards. When developing new products, R&D always takes the environmental aspects into account.”
And as it turns out, with appropriate design and due testing, reducing wall thickness even makes it possible to increase safety and elasticity in one of our new systems.
Energy efficiency
Facing a global energy crisis with soaring prices it is crucial to optimize your energy use patterns. In fact, there is a whole new standard of energy efficiency being set right now, especially for high-volume manufacturing industries like Troax.
By implementing intelligent solutions for lighting and machinery, planning your energy usage at off-peak times, and automating the timing, energy and money can be saved. Magnus Svantesson states:
With our energy peak governance system, we can reduce consumption and still be more effective.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Saving the environment and being energy effective while reducing your costs is no utopia. On the contrary, it is the key to a safe future. So let us not make this more complicated than this. The three Rs of sustainability – reduce, reuse, and recycle – are applicable for each individual as well as for any corporate business.
Together we can safeguard the future.
