ASSA ABLOY’s commitment to the environment can be observed from their five-year sustainability program that serves as guidance for all energy consumption, carbon emissions and water consumption issues across their global operations.
ASSA ABLOY remains committed to meeting the challenges of operational sustainability. Several measures have been implemented at their facilities to minimise the environmental impact of their activities, including phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances, using more intelligent energy consumption methods, redesigning packaging, and adopting reusable and recyclable materials among others.
The Sustainability Compass
ASSA ABLOY has been publishing Sustainability Reports each year since 2005, introducing transparency into their green initiatives and outcomes. The organisation has consequently earned recognition in the FTSE4Good Index, OMX GES Sustainability Sweden PI Index, and Kempen SNS Socially Responsible Universe.
An important step during new product development at ASSA ABLOY is the use of a Sustainability Compass to abridge the sustainability vision for each individual product. This compass focuses on eight areas: raw materials, water, virgin material, end-of-life reusability, recyclability, in-life energy consumption, carbon footprint, and financial cost. This tool helps the company track product performance and emphasise the importance of sustainability to all stakeholders involved.
End-to-end sustainability
Sustainable solutions for the usage of raw materials, water, virgin materials, and packaging have been implemented within the manufacturing process to achieve ASSA ABLOY’s 2020 goals. In Finland’s Abloy Oy Joensuu factory, strict limits have been set on the amount of water available from all taps, resulting in an 8% reduction of overall water consumption.
Additionally, stainless steel has replaced brass in lock and door components, minimising energy consumption and the use of hazardous substances involved in the electroplating process. Switching to stainless steel has significantly reduced electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions that would have resulted from the electroplating process. Stainless steel products even shorten the delivery process and are overall more sustainable and durable, directly benefiting customers.
Powered by renewable energy
Throughout ASSA ABLOY EMEA, renewable energy powers a significant part of the operations, accounting for more than half of the electricity consumption. Some centres, including Abloy in Finland, Spain, and a few facilities in the UK even procure their energy strictly from renewable resources, all of which have contributed to reducing ASSA ABLOY’s carbon footprint.
ASSA ABLOY has also replaced their packaging materials with recyclable, unbleached, corrugated cardboard, in addition to redesigning their boxes into smaller sizes that can still protect the product without the need for Styrofoam padding. Using less material also means using less space for inventory and transport, resulting in a more efficient, economical, and environment-friendly product.
