CARBON EMISSIONS
Formica Group has set goals to reduce emissions from all operations, vehicles and facilities that may contribute to the formation of green house gases. Formica Group aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 5% by the end of 2012.
1 WHAT ARE CARBON EMISSIONS?
Organisations use fossil fuels to produce energy. The CO2 generated as part of that process is released to the atmosphere. Whilst we know carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants and trees, within the natural carbon cycle. Industry generally produces more CO2 than they can absorb.
The effect of this CO2 in the atmosphere is that the temperature of our planet is increasing. Through process improvements and energy efficiencies, Formica Group is working to reduce its contribution to carbon emissions and “global warming."
2 FORMICA® PRODUCTS, EMISSIONS AND ENERGY
Formica Group recognises that reducing reliance on fossil fuels is an economical and ecological imperative—and it is our corporate responsibility to also to investigate renewable sources of energy that have minimal carbon impact and can significantly replace the use of fossil fuels.
By completing a detailed and comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis of our products, Formica Group fully understands the embodied energy required throughout production of all components of our products. This information allows us to set objectives to reduce our energy consumption and therefore, our carbon emission values. Our supply chain partners have also shared with us their energy consumption data.
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3 CURRENT STATUS & ACTIVITY
Formica Group has made a commitment to reduce our carbon emissions by 5% by 2012. We continuously activate programs to reduce carbon impacts from our products and activities in all Formica facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. These strategies form a global program to reduce our total annual carbon footprint.
Formica Group is also a member of the Carbon Disclosure project, along with other leading global companies that contribute to worldwide initiatives to publicize, understand and reduce the potential effects of carbon emissions.
Among the current strategies we employ:
- Closed loop press heating systems conserve hot water
- Biomass is used to generate energy (how much and where?)
- Advanced boiler control systems maximize energy combustion and reduce energy use
- High efficiency compressors
- High efficiency motors
- Energy saving lighting systems
- Development of efficient freight routes to maximize fuel economy
- Investigation into further use of renewable sources
Formica Group has established waste objectives to reduce the quantity of paper and other waste that is sent to landfill (landfill sites generate greenhouse gases). Learn more about our manufacturing efforts here.
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