Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • LogIn
  • News
  • Technology Focus
    • Features
    • Technical Papers
    • Analysis: Rubber mixing plants of the future
      Analysis: US probes dumping by ESBR suppliers
      Opinion: Tire labels stuck in a rut
      Analysis: NR pricing takes one step forward, two steps back
    • White paper: Role of tire innerliners in improving 'in-use rolling resistance'
      White paper: Why tire air retention matters now more than ever
      Nippon Soda: Use of 1,2-polybutadiene in CSM rubber applications
      Elastomers for Sustainability Top 10
  • Events
    • ERJ Events
    • ERJ Livestreams & Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Journey to Automation Awards 2020
      Sustainability: Top 10 E4S projects table
  • Maps & Reports
  • People
  • Directory
  • Digital Edition
  • Brainiac
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 24, 2018 12:00 AM

Datwyler ‘hit-and-miss’ on sustainability targets

Patrick Raleigh
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Up to 2020, Datwyler aims to reduce in relation to revenue: fuel consumption by 6% a year, electricity consumption by 3% a year, water consumption by 3% a year and waste volume by 3% a year.

    In 2017, the Swiss group achieved per-unit-of-sales reductions in its consumption of fuels (-5%), electricity (-0.4%), water (-9.6%) and waste (-4.5%), the company said 23 May.

    The figures appear in Datwyler’s 10th sustainability report and mainly cover its Sealing Solutions division, which consumes over 95% of group resources.

    Electricity and fuel

    Absolute energy consumption in the production-oriented Sealing Solutions division increased by 8.8% to 231,578 MWh during the 2017. Of this, 81.1% related to electricity consumption, which increased by 10.1% year-on-year.

    Datwyler linked the increase partly to the first-time inclusion of figures from German injection moulding company Ott, acquired in September 2016.

    Another factor, it said, was the start-up of two new mixing plants in 2017 at existing production sites in Belgium and the Czech Republic.

    In Belgium, for instance, Datwyler said “the business is manufacturing mixtures under cleanroom conditions for the first time, and this results in a disproportionately high increase in electricity consumption.”

    Datwyler also added new production facilities into operation at various plants and increased production of more energy-intensive components such as healthcare products from cleanrooms.

    However, the 0.4% reduction in relative electricity consumption, left Datwyler well short of its 3 % reduction-target for 2017.

    Among its efforts to use electricity more efficiently in future, Datwyler invested CHF3.7 million in an ecological cooling system at its Swiss site in 2016. Using groundwater for air conditioning, ventilation and other processes, it said, reduced electricity demand by over 60% in 2017 compared to using conventional chillers.

    Overall, absolute CO₂ emissions at Datwyler increased by 13.4% to 97,006 tonnes. This, it said, was due to “growing production capacity at plants in China and India, which increase the average level of CO₂ associated with the electricity consumed.”

    Water consumption

    At around 2.1 million m³, absolute water consumption at Datwyler in 2017 was almost unchanged from the previous year. Reduction per revenue unit amounted to 9.6%, well ahead of the 3% target.

    Water-intensive operations at the Sealing Solutions division include the cooling of seal profiles used for construction and civil engineering applications, the cleaning of healthcare components, and the cooling equipment used for manufacturing ‘consumer goods’ items.

    The water demand at the Swiss production site of around 865,000 m³ – accounting for over 40% of water consumption across the Group – is largely covered by process water.

    Waste volume

    The absolute volume of waste increased in 2017 reached 13,913 tonnes, compared to the prior-year 13,191 tonnes. But the relative volume of waste per revenue unit fell by 4.5%.

    The recycling rate increased from 67.6% to 68.3%, helped by finding new customers for process-related elastomer waste. Applications, for example, include uses in floor coverings at sports facilities.

    Datwyler said it is also targeting ongoing reductions in process-related elastomer waste by improving both production processes and the way components are engineered.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Versalis gains sustainability cert for product from bionaphtha and chemical recycling
    Versalis gains sustainability cert for product from bionaphtha and chemical recycling
    Michelin tires will be “100% sustainable” by 2050
    Michelin tires will be “100% sustainable” by 2050
    MouldTex advances mould-texturing for friction-optimised rubber parts
    MouldTex advances mould-texturing for friction-optimised rubber parts
    Free Newsletters

    Breaking news and in-depth coverage of essential topics delivered straight to your inbox.

    Subscribe today

    Get the latest news impacting the European rubber industry, from breaking news to razor-sharp analysis, in print and online.

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Youtube

    Logo
    Contact Us

    @ 2019 European Rubber Journal. 
    European Rubber Journal is published bi-monthly by NUERJ Ltd.

    Registered Office: Castle House, 89 High Street,
    Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2DF, United Kingdom. 

    Tel. + 44 (0)203 196 0141 

    Registered No. 13104613 England

    Email: [email protected]

    Website www.european-rubber-journal.com

    Customer service 

    Tel. + 44 (0)203 196 0141 

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
    • Technology Focus
      • Features
      • Technical Papers
    • Events
      • ERJ Events
      • ERJ Livestreams & Webinars
      • Industry Events
    • Maps & Reports
    • People
    • Directory
    • Digital Edition
    • Brainiac