Aiming to be the world’s most sustainable lubricant solutions provider is the driving force behind FUCHS’ sustainability initiatives, says Esther Seabi, Sustainability Director at Fuchs Lubricants SA. Using 2021 as the base year, the group aims to reduce its greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions as follows: A Scope 1 and 2 reduction of 42% by 2030 and 90% by 2040, and a Scope 3 reduction of 25% by 2030 and 90% by 2040.
“We have been carbon neutral gate-to-gate (that is, within our operations) since 2020,” highlights Esther. This is due to improved energy efficiency and conservation, and compensating for emissions that could not be avoided by purchasing carbon credits to invest in various carbon mitigation projects. The new strategy specifies targets. “Our focus areas are therefore to reduce our carbon footprint (CFP), improve awareness among stakeholders, and to build credible systems and processes.”
As far as reducing the CFP to achieve the Scope 1 and 2 targets, FUCHS focuses on energy conservation, efficiency, and increased use of renewable energy. It has developed a portfolio of projects that it has started to implement. Low-hanging fruit in this regard include insulating tanks and steam lines and installing VSDs.
Considerable savings
“We are already seeing some considerable saving in energy consumptions which translates into reduced GHG emissions. We are very excited about the results we are seeing from the projects implemented thus far. For example, after installing VSDs on cooling tower fans, we logged the energy usage and found that the reductions exceeded our estimates. These initial projects represent an eight percent reduction in our CPF against our baseline”.
Next are some waste heat recovery projects, such as from the vent condenser on the hot well into the boiler feed water. “We are also looking at using heat from manufactured finished products that need to be cooled to keep raw material tanks heated through a heat exchange system.” In terms of renewable energy, Fuchs is looking to add an additional 677 kWp PV system this year.
Scope 3
In terms of Scope 3, the company has already developed a roadmap of initiatives to achieve these targets. As most of this scope revolves around purchased goods and services, Fuchs has developed some milestones for its suppliers to achieve.
“We have adopted a partnership approach to support our suppliers on the journey. Last year we offered awareness sessions about sustainability and training to calculate GHG emissions. Education and training is also a pillar of our strategy. We can only succeed if our stakeholders, internal and external, are aware and motivated to fulfil the requirements,” says Estheri.
Post-consumer
Circular economy initiatives are also a focus area for the company’s own products and what it purchases from suppliers. For example, the Titan 500 ml, 1 litre and 5 litre containers already include 30% post-consumer recycled materials Ecycled (PCR) recycled materials, with plans to increase this to 50%.
In terms of waste, Fuchs has a waste management plan based on reduce, reuse, and recycle. “We have already introduced biodegradable packaging and probiotic waste food recycling in our canteen,” adds Esther. Other initiatives include reducing solid and hazardous waste by treating and converting it into recyclable materials.
Accurate and reliable results
“Another important part of our strategy is to build credible systems and processes to ensure we produce accurate and reliable results.” Adopting a systematic approach and building management systems that are externally verified is one way to do this. Fuchs is already ISO 14001 certified and is working on achieving ISO 5001 accreditation. The company uses the ISO 26000 guidance to define material sustainability issues in the business and to identify relevant processes and KPIs.
Fuchs benchmarks itself internationally through Ecovadis, a global provider of sustainability assessments and ratings for businesses and their suppliers. Its mission is to help companies improve their environmental, social, and ethical performance. The company scored 63/100 in its last rating, placing it on the 81st percentile and being awarded a bronze medal.
