Environmental Responsibility at Halton
At Halton, the major environmental impacts arise from the materials we use; from the energy we consume in our production, and the energy our products consume during the life cycle of products. Greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production of purchased energy are important factors, as is that from the fuel we use in company vehicles.
At the end of 2022, Halton started preparing its products’ EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) documentation. The documentation complies with the European standard EN 15804, and the first EPDs will be published in the spring of 2023. Life cycle analysis of products helps us to identify development targets that allow us to reduce the environmental impact of products in terms of their manufacture and use during the product life cycle.
The energy renovation of the Kausala production unit was completed during the first quarter of 2022. The benefits of the energy renovation were reflected in the energy consumption of 2022. Gas consumption decreased by 29 percent. Electricity consumption decreased by 10 percent, although part of the gas usage was replaced by the heat pump. Heat pumps were also used for cooling, which improved the working conditions of the production facilities. To reduce emissions caused by the consumption of natural gas, the Kausala factory switched to using biogas instead of natural gas at the beginning of the second quarter. Due to the reduction in gas consumption and the transition from natural gas to biogas, emissions decreased by 440 tons.
Halton’s Reit im Winkl production facility took a significant step toward achieving environmentally friendly production by implementing a new solar power plant. The Reit im Winkl factory can be said to be carbon neutral in terms of electricity and heating. The electricity sold to the local electricity grid reduces emissions from general electricity production by about 16.5 tons. In the future, part of this electricity can also be used to charge the batteries of the company’s electric cars.
Over the past few years, Halton has focused on keeping production emissions as low as possible. The corporation has invested significantly in the energy efficiency of its production facilities and in renewable energy sources. The investments at Reit im Winkl and Kausala are excellent examples because they show that investing in sustainable development is financially profitable and reduces CO2 emissions.
The Latest Environmental Responsibility Updates
At Halton, we focus on reducing the emissions caused by our own operations, Scope 1 and 2. We also started making the life cycle assessment of our products in 2022, and we will publish the first EPD documents in 2023.
Key Environmental Responsibility Indicators at a Glance
Used Materials Each Year
Halton provides solutions for commercial and public premises, healthcare institutions and laboratories, professional kitchens, and restaurants, as well as energy production environments and marine vessels. The majority of the production materials we use are stainless and galvanized steel, aluminum, and wood. Of these four materials, galvanized steel is the most common for SBA Halton’s products, whereas SBA Foodservice and SBA Marine mainly use stainless steel. In all Halton factories, we use wood for packing. The largest quantities of aluminum are used at SBA Halton’s factory in France for exhaust grilles.
Read more about our material purchases from our Sustainability Report
The Waste Amount Each Year
At Halton, practically all the waste produced by our group is process waste. Most of our products are made of steel sheets. From this material, we produce the shapes of the products, and this causes cutting waste. The reduction of this cutting waste is our focus, and we have developed our production processes based on this. As a result, we have managed to make the processes more efficient and reduce waste. In 2022, the amount of cutting waste was 27.8 percent of the total material used. In the previous year, the cutting waste accounted for 24.7 percent.
Read more about our waste management from our Sustainability Report
The Used Energy Each Year
In 2022, all our production units purchased a total amount of 9,308 MWhs of electricity, 6,561 MWhs of heat, and 19,700 MWhs of fuel. The increase in the amount of fuel used is due to the growth of the service business after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that Nelbud Services LLC is now included in the statistics for the whole of 2022.
Read more about our energy consumption from our Sustainability Report
Halton Group CO2 Emissions, Scope 1 and 2
Between the years 2020 to 2022, we reduced emissions by approximately 651 tonnes by investing in low-emission heating solutions and switching to renewable energy. Investments in reducing energy consumption and emissions will continue in the coming years.
Emissions from car fuels currently cause the biggest emissions from Halton’s operations. The increase in emissions caused by fuels was influenced by Halton’s acquisition at the end of 2021. In 2022, the maintenance service company Nelbud Services LLC was for the first time a member of the Halton Group for the entire year. Fuel consumption of cars used in the service business increased emissions considerably. Another reason for the increase in car fuel consumption has been the increase in sales activities and the growth of the service business after two years of the severe COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more about our CO2 emissions from our Sustainability Report