For the last seven years, OPHARDT has published a sustainable development report. This annual report covers our performance metrics as they relate to our sustainability goals: improve health and well-being, cultivate stronger communities, and foster a thriving environment. In advance of publishing our report covering the 2022 calendar year, we delve deeper into our environmental performance metrics below.
OUR APPROACH
At OPHARDT Hygiene, we are continuously working to strengthen resource efficiencies and limit waste and emissions within our operations. We are investing in more efficient technologies as they become available and are rethinking the way we design and manufacture our products to minimize waste. We prioritize efficiency and conservation initiatives relating to energy and water use, support projects that favour increased reliance on renewable energy, and are taking action to ensure our distribution channels and suppliers produce fewer GHG emissions.
ENERGY & EMISSIONS
The energy we consume is directly linked to the release of greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in renewable energy is an important step in transitioning to a low carbon future. This is because energy generated from renewable resources, such as wind and solar, generate significantly fewer GHG emissions over their life cycle as compared to energy derived from fossil fuel-based resources. For example, in comparison to energy derived from gas or coal, solar and wind installations emit 91-99% fewer GHG emissions over their life cycles. [1]
ENERGY
OPHARDT Hygiene’s main sources of energy include purchased electricity, natural gas, and wood pellets. In 2022, company-wide energy consumption from all sources within the organization totaled approximately 35,880 GJ. Of the company-wide energy used this year, 17,809 GJ came from renewable energy sources, while 18,071 GJ came from non-renewable sources (including fossil fuels and nuclear power). Purchased electricity accounted for approximately 20,162 GJ of the total consumption in 2022.
COMPANY-OWNED PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
In addition to energy conservation and efficiency projects, OPHARDT Hygiene has been investing in renewable energy over the last decade. In 2022, we expanded our renewable energy portfolio by adding two photovoltaic systems at our Irish location in Ballymote. With a combined total output of 200 kWp, more than 10% of our annual electricity needs at the plant will now be generated from these systems.
The Irish expansion project represents our newest addition to our existing renewable energy portfolio. In 2012, we installed our first photovoltaic system at our manufacturing plant in Maaseik, Belgium. This system can provide up to 17% of the plant’s annual electricity requirements, with 360,000 kWh of renewable energy generated to date. In June 2019, we completed the installation of a second voltaic system at our Beamsville, Canada location. To date, this system has generated more than 167,000 kWh of renewable energy – enough to cover the annual electricity needs of all lighting in the plant.
EMISSIONS
To calculate our company-wide emissions, we adopted the Corporate Standard framework from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. All emissions are calculated using the IPCC’s median lifecycle emissions of energy sources, including albedo effect, based on a 100-year timeframe [2] and the IPCC’s Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (unless otherwise stated). [3]
According to the GHG Protocol, Scope 1 emissions occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the company, including emissions resulting from the combustion in owned or controlled equipment or devices. In 2022, our company wide GHG emissions from all fuel sources equaled approximately 784 metric tonnes of CO2e. [4]
Scope 2 emissions result from the generation of purchased electricity that is supplied to, and consumed by, an organization. Our company wide CO2e emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity totaled approximately 775 metric tonnes in 2022. Approximately 75% of the purchased electricity supplied to our six manufacturing locations is generated by renewable resources.
GUARANTEES OF ORIGIN
Since 2016, we have been investing in Guarantees of Origin for our entire purchased electricity supply at our Ballymote, Ireland facility. In 2018 and 2020, we began purchasing Guarantees of Origin at our manufacturing locations in Maaseik, Belgium and Issum, Germany, respectively. In 2022, we began purchasing Guarantees of Origin at our manufacturing location in Niederbipp, Switzerland. Purchasing Guarantees of Origin at four of our manufacturing locations has boosted the overall share of renewables in our purchased electricity supply mix to 75% in 2022.
A Guarantee of Origin is a tracking certificate for renewable energy, regulated by the European Commission, under European Directive 2009/28/EC, article 15. When a company purchases a Guarantee of Origin, the corresponding amount of electricity is canceled in the electronic certificate registry. This single standardized system makes it easy to track ownership and ensure there is no double-counting of certificates. Guarantees of Origin enable European electricity consumers to support the production of renewable energy and build market momentum for increased renewable energy production.
WATER
We recognize water as an essential, shared resource that must be managed wisely to guarantee current and future generations continued access to a clean, safe, and plentiful supply. To ensure our water resources are used responsibly, we monitor our domestic and process water use and work together with external professionals to treat water when required. We are committed to raising water efficiencies within our operations.
Water is supplied to each of our manufacturing facilities by either the local municipality, or privately-owned water utilities. Most of our water usage is attributable to domestic consumption—water used for drinking, hygiene, and sanitation. Important manufacturing processes also require water use, including for cooling, heating, and cleaning. In 2022, our total company-wide water withdrawal, including water used for domestic purposes and as process water, was approximately 7,149 m3.
Our process water is recycled in closed-loop systems to minimize consumption where possible. To maintain water quality, this water is routinely tested, through internal and/or external monitoring. Water quality indicators include pH, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), temperature, turbidity, total hardness (TH), conductivity, and coliform colony counts, where appropriate. When our process water can no longer be recycled, treatment methods are determined based on water quality reports. This year we sent approximately 136 m3 cubic metres of process water to be treated off-site by a third-party supplier, while 1,463 m3 were tested and discharged to sewers. There were no unplanned process water discharges in 2022.
WASTE
From redesigning our products and investing in more efficient technologies, to collaborating with our partners and suppliers, we are working to reduce waste within our operations and across our value chain. Our first step in minimizing waste material is to use materials more effectively to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. All waste generated within our operations is taken off-site for disposal by third-party waste management services.
Where possible, we work with waste management services that offer further processing of residual waste, extract any remaining valuable materials before being sent to energy recovery, incineration, or landfill facilities. In 2022, 442 metric tonnes of non-hazardous waste, including metal scrap, and 90 metric tonnes of hazardous waste were generated company wide.
2023 AND BEYOND
In 2023 and beyond, we will continue to work toward our goal of becoming net climate neutral by 2045. We will do this by increasing our resource efficiencies and investing in renewable energy and energy conservation projects.
Sources for the article “OPHARDT releases 2022 environmental performance metrics”:
[1] Schlömer, S., Bruckner T., Fulton L., Hertwich, E., McKinnon A., Perczyk, D., Roy, J., Schaeffer, R., Sims. R., Smith, P., & Wiser, R. (2014). Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., Pichs-Madruga, R., Sokona, Y., Farahani E., Kadner, S., Seyboth, K., Adler, A., Baum, I., Brunner, S., Eickemeier, P., Kriemann, B., Savolainen, J., Schlömer, S,. von Stechow, C., Zwickel T., & Minx J.C. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. More.
[2] Ibid
[3] IPCC. (2006). Chapter 2: Stationary Combustion. In 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse gas Inventories. National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Japan. https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/2_Volume2/V2_2_Ch2_Stationary_Combustion.pdf
[4]Calculated including company-owned forklifts and other vehicles; not including company-owned or rented cars.
[…] OPHARDT releases 2022 environmental performance metrics […]