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Griesser with green aluminum for sustainable CO2 footprint reduction
As an industry pioneer, Griesser will be using more sustainable aluminum in the manufacture of its products in the future.
By using such ‘green aluminum’ the company, which is one of Europe’s leading solar shading providers, will cut the carbon dioxide emissions generated through the manufacture of its aluminum by up to 30%, setting new climate-friendly production benchmarks within the solar shading sector.
With its properties of high weatherability, light weight, strong stability and good recyclability, aluminum is an ideal material for the manufacture of Griesser’s top-quality solar shading products. At the same time, however, new aluminum manufacture has extremely high energy needs. With the aluminum which it presently uses in its product manufacture entailing up to 4.7 kilos of carbon dioxide emissions per kilo produced – thanks not least to 30% of such aluminum coming from recycled sources – Griesser is already well below the European average of 6.71 kilos and the global average of 16.72 kilos of CO2 emissions per kilo of aluminum production. But the company is now seeking to sustainably further reduce such carbon emissions, in what it regards as a key step towards achieving its climate protection goals.
“Our vision in climate care terms is to fully decarbonize our business by 2050,” explains Urs Neuhauser, CEO of the Griesser Group. “And if we are to achieve this, we simply have to focus on our products as well and give these, too, more carbon-neutral credentials. Using sustainable products in solar power and recycling terms has already scored us some initial successes on this front. But by using green aluminum, we can take these endeavors to an entirely new level.”
The aluminum which Griesser has been using in its products to date is derived 36% from pre- and post-consumer scrap and 64% from primary aluminum. The new green aluminum which Griesser will now use in its solar shading products consists 65% of pre- and post-consumer scrap and only 35% of primary aluminum. This lowers the carbon dioxide emissions generated through the production of the aluminum concerned to just 3.3 kilos of CO2 per kilo of aluminum, a reduction of up to 30%.
Griesser will be sourcing its new green aluminum materials from two Europe-based suppliers which offer certificated low-carbon aluminum products. The collaborations also deliver sustainability gains in terms of the primary aluminum used, which is produced in Europe using renewable energy and state-of-the-art technologies, with concomitant CO2 emissions that are up to five times lower than would be generated through the use of conventional coal-intensive processes.
A major impact on Griesser’s carbon footprint
Griesser’s carbon footprint is measured and monitored in accordance with international standards by myclimate, an international climate protection organization with whom Griesser has been collaborating since 2008. Griesser’s carbon footprint is tracked in four categories: materials, energy, mobility & transportation and waste disposal. The company’s emissions are measured and monitored at its Aadorf (Switzerland), Nenzing (Austria), Carros (France) and Wolschwiller (France) production sites.
At some 87%3, the vast majority of Griesser’s CO2 emissions are in the materials category. And within this, 78%3 are attributable to the aluminum used. “It’s with the aluminum among the materials we use that we have the greatest lever for substantially further reducing our corporate carbon footprint,” Urs Neuhauser confirms. “This is why we are so keen to find effective solutions in this area, and why we are giving our ‘green aluminum’ initiative such a high priority.”
Further potential to be consistently pursued
Raising the post-consumer scrap content in aluminum production can already lower the amounts of CO2 generated in the process to less than 2 kilos per kilo of aluminum produced. Such levels cannot yet be achieved, however, in the volumes required. The prime challenges here are in processing the materials involved and closing the recycling circle.
Griesser will continue to follow this green aluminum path. “Pioneering has been in our company’s DNA for the last 142 years,” Urs Neuhauser concludes. “And in this same pioneering spirit, we will continue to strive to steadily further reduce our corporate carbon footprint – not least because, in doing so, we can provide our entire business segment with the impetus and the incentive to jointly tackle the challenge of climate change.”
1 Source: Aluminium-Verband Schweiz
2 Source: International Aluminium Institute
3 Figures from the Griesser Corporate Carbon Footprint for 2022
