INDUSTRY NEWS
Net Zero Commitments , Low Carbon Goals , Sustainability Pledges , ESG , CSR . . .
Whatever your business calls it , now is the time to act on reducing carbon emissions . Graham Fraser , MD of Fraser Technologies , discusses how changing the chemicals manufacturers use in their cleaning processes can significantly reduce carbon footprint .
Later this year , the UK is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties ( COP26 ) in Glasgow . The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change .
There has never been a bigger focus on reducing carbon emissions , with businesses , financial institutions , cities , and countries setting targets to reduce emissions to net zero before the middle of this century .
Almost daily , we ’ re seeing big organisations make net zero pledges and low carbon commitments , as part of their CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility ) policies and ESG ( Environmental , Social , and Governance ) principles , as more and more people realise that we must all act now to safeguard a liveable climate for future generations . We all have a part to play in this and should be making our own promises to do what we can , and to only support business who act on these pledges .
While net zero is a vital long-term goal , steep emissions cuts – especially by the largest greenhouse-gas emitters – are crucial in the next 5 to 10 years in order to keep global warming to no more than 1.5 ° C .
How to reduce carbon footprint
For organisations looking to meet carbon emission goals , every element of the business process should be considered , and a good place to start is with cleaning . A very simple switch can have a major impact , especially for those who haven ’ t recently checked what products they use .
Cleaning solvents were historically guilty of very high global warming potential ( GWP ) and had seriously detrimental effects on the atmosphere . However , there is a new generation of solvents which have been developed specifically with the environment in mind and are far less harmful than comparable solutions .
Global warming potential ( GWP ) is one of the methods for measuring the impact a gas will have on the atmosphere . GWP is used to represent the equivalent of C02 being released into the atmosphere , where 1kg of C02 = a GWP of 1 . For companies manufacturing gases , and for those purchasing and using them , it is critical to manage environmental impact by keeping the GWP as low as possible .
As a business , we too are committed to reducing emissions , and work hard to ensure we only offer the most sustainable products on the market . For example , Opteon™ SF80 from Chemours has an ultralow GWP of less than 2.5 , compared to common F-gas solvents that can have a GWP of up to 11,000 . The impact that this simple switch can have is incredible – especially as it is just as effective , and in some cases more efficient , than competitor products . So , not only does it help meet lower carbon goals , but it can also improve the cleaning process and save money .
How much carbon be saved by switching solvents ?
Many businesses have already made the switch to lower GWP solvents and have proven the positive effect it can have .
To give an example , we recently worked with an aerospace manufacturer to find an alternative to the high-GWP solvent they were using . We switched their solvent to SF80 and assisted in optimising their processes to reduce solvent consumption . This change reduced their overall usage of solvent by 28 %, saved them around £ 30,000 per year , and significantly reduced their carbon emissions . With a GWP of 990 , the CO2 emissions created by the customer were previously equal to the emissions of driving 143 times around the world ( or 7.5 times to the moon and back !). With the switch to SF80 , the customer ’ s new emissions are the equivalent of driving from Edinburgh to Moscow .
The statistics on global warming are stark . 18 of the 19 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001 ; Earth ’ s ice sheets are melting by 413 Gigatonnes of mass per year ; and the sea levels are increasing by 3.3mm per year . More alarming is that current targets fall short on solving the climate crisis , so we need to do more .
This issue can be almost exclusively attributed to harmful gases in the atmosphere , and we can fix much of this by making small changes in all that we do . When it comes to cleaning processes , the solution is already available , with more environmentally friendly solvents that yield the same results , Making this change could be one of easiest ways to meet your company ’ s carbon goals , while playing your part in protecting our Earth .
Visit : frasertech . co . uk
30 AUGUST 2021 twitter : @ surfaceworldmag