Reduce CO2 footprint through tailor made thread drives
Sustainability and energy efficiency are important topics in all sections of the drive train. We have set ourselves the goal of not only promoting our own sustainability but also supporting our customers in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The magazine “antriebstechnik” spoke to Daryl Bründler, our CFO and site manager responsible for CO2/sustainability in Burg, on this topic.
Mr. Bründler, finances and sustainability are often perceived as opposites. As the finance manager and sustainability manager at Eichenberger Gewinde in Burg, is it challenging for you to handle both areas?
On the contrary! The principle of sustainability is the same in both ecological and economic senses - the responsible use of resources. As a medium-sized company rooted in the Swiss region, sustainability is not a question of money for us but of responsibility. The increasing importance of our natural resources will also lead to a stronger emphasis on them in our economic system. I am convinced that sustainable thinking and action in the ecological sense will also lead to economic sustainability for companies. The price of CO2 will increase significantly, and the avoidance of CO2 emissions will also pay off financially. We want to anticipate this development and make it easier for our customers to follow this path. As part of the Festo Group, which pursues these goals as a whole, we benefit from synergies.
What does that look like exactly?
Sustainability is of strategic importance to Festo. The group is committed to corporate sustainability, which is aligned with the United Nations' goals. In the coming years, Festo will significantly reduce its CO2 footprint. Since 2023, all our buildings in Germany, as well as our global production and logistics sites, have been CO2-neutral in terms of our Scope 2 emissions, and we compensate for our Scope 1 emissions. In 2024, two years earlier than planned, this will apply to the entire Festo Group. Festo's commitment in this area has already been recognized with awards. In November, the company received the German Sustainability Award. Festo was also recently named a successful practice company in sustainability by RWTH Aachen University and the Complexity Management Academy. In the Festo Group, we always consider the best and most efficient solution, also in terms of sustainability. We provide learning opportunities to train our employees in this direction. We see sustainable transformation as a joint journey with all our employees, customers, and suppliers. Eichenberger Gewinde, as part of the Festo Group, fully participates in this journey.
How does Eichenberger Gewinde support its customers in pursuing and achieving sustainable goals?
Firstly, we ensure transparency. The Festo Group undergoes regular audits and is listed on various platforms, including EcoVadis. EcoVadis measures the quality of a company's sustainability management system. This underscores our seriousness in this area. For our customers, it is a great advantage that we can quantify our greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 very well. We are also making good progress in Scope 3.
Can you briefly differentiate between the mentioned Scopes 1 to 3?
The terms Scope 1 to 3 come from the GHG Protocol, a privately organized and internationally recognized set of standards for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and reporting for companies. Scope 1 refers to a company's direct emissions, which are the easiest to influence. Scope 2 includes emissions from purchased energy, and Scope 3 encompasses all other indirect emissions arising from the production and transportation of purchased goods and similar activities. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CRSD) sets clear rules for sustainability reporting by companies and includes Scopes 1 to 3. From 2026, even SMEs will be required to fulfill this obligation and report their numbers for 2025.
How far has Eichenberger Gewinde come in reducing and quantifying emissions?
We have good control over the emissions directly controllable and measurable by us under Scope 1. We pay close attention to sustainability in everything from lighting to our fleet. We have a modern machine park with low emissions and high uptime. For Scope 2, we are using photovoltaic systems and locally produced energy from Switzerland, mostly from hydropower. We also pay attention to material selection and have organized development and design according to sustainability criteria. Finally, our production technology, thread rolling, is particularly effective in terms of waste reduction, among other things. Scope 3 is, of course, the most challenging aspect because we have limited influence over emissions along the supply chain. Whenever possible, we rely on local suppliers and use other approaches to calculate the CO2 values for our production as accurately as possible.
How do Eichenberger Gewinde customers benefit from these sustainability initiatives?
Well, we are the Scope 3 of our customers. Therefore, the better our emissions are, the better our customers will become. In addition to being able to calculate the CO2 consumption for our products, the recycling of our products and the minimal waste generated by our production process also play a role. A fundamental advantage of thread drives is that they are very energy-efficient and, therefore, a sustainable drive solution. Through our ability to customize our products to the individual needs of our customers, we offer products that not only fit perfectly into our customers' products and processes but also use only as much material and energy as necessary. Among other things, we rely on effective lubrication solutions, including lifetime lubrication, which significantly increases the lifespan of Eichenberger products. This also reduces our customers' Scope 1 and 2 values.
What are the plans of Eichenberger Gewinde for the coming years?
We will continuously reduce our Scope 1 emissions through technological transformation to achieve net-zero by 2040 as planned. Furthermore, we will gradually reduce our Scope 3 through various measures, with a focus on efficient production and use of our products.
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You can find the original interview from “antriebstechnik” (German language, p. 40) here.
