A photovoltaic system was recently installed at our Ballymote, Ireland facility. This means that OPHARDT is now using green electricity with the help of solar panels at a total of three locations.
OPHARDT Hygiene is a global company with locations in seven different countries. Our mission to Break the Chain of Infection has led us to make sustainability a top priority. We need a healthy planet to have healthy people. As a manufacturer of dispensing systems and hygiene solutions, we are working to prevent infectious diseases and effectively curb antibiotic resistance, all while we take steps towards climate neutrality. With CO² emissions increasing worldwide, we want to save resources and use them responsibly.
In the next 30 years, the world’s population is expected to grow to over nine billion people. This will lead to higher energy demand and greater pressure on water resources. Climate change will bring warming temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. For us and our descendants, we need to rethink our approaches and act right away.
Green power on the green island
In 2012, the first photovoltaic system was installed at the site in Maaseik, Belgium. These panels produce 17% of the total electricity needed at the facility.
The second photovoltaic system followed in 2019 at our Canadian location in Beamsville, Ontario. Around 56,000 kWh of electricity is generated here per year—enough to cover the annual energy requirement to light the plant.
This year, our Irish location in Ballymote installed photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the manufacturing building. This can cover 7 per cent of their annual electricity demand. A few years earlier, the site on the Emerald Isle had already switched to biomass energy to make its manufacturing greener.
Paul Donovan, Irish sustainability representative, emphasizes the importance of this investment: “With the installation of solar cells, we have taken a big step towards sustainability at our plant in Ireland. The output of the 100 kWp PV system will cover 7% of our annual electricity needs. Together with the switch to biomass for space heating in 2020, this project will significantly reduce our annual CO² emissions.”
OPHARDT’s approach to a sustainable future
Sustainability at OPHARDT starts with product design that combines durability, reliability, and innovation. We also include a high percentage of recycled materials in many of our products, which has great environmental and economic benefits. For example, the inclusion of post-consumer materials (PCR) is an integral part of the product development process. The materials comes from municipal recycling programs and is transformed, for example, into pumps or bottles in our dispenser systems. Later, this product can be recycled again.
Improving health and wellbeing; cultivating stronger communities; promoting a thriving environment—OPHARDT has been working towards a carbon neutral approach for many years. As a result, we continually invest in innovative and sustainable processes to ensure that business, the environment and nature are connected. In order to deal responsibly with the resources we consume, we work to make a meaningful contribution to the circular economy.
You can find more information about sustainability at OPHARDT Hygiene on our website.
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