100% Climate Compensated
UW-ELAST manufactures only components from the highest quality polyurethane for long service life.
A product’s service life is the key to sustainable production.
Our products do wear out, but this is because they are often installed in demanding applications, such as in extremely harsh environments in the North Sea or in mechanically stressed positions in machinery.
In the latter case, often to reduce wear on costly components, which, if replaced, would likely have had a greater environmental impact.
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Focus on Three Main Areas
UW-ELAST has mapped its environmentally impactful processes and has chosen to focus primarily on three main areas to effectively reduce the company’s total climate impact:
- To always offer the customer the right polyurethane of the highest possible quality
- To continuously work to reduce our climate footprint through active improvements throughout our entire value chain
- To climate compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions that still occur as a result of our operations, both directly and indirectly.
Below we describe how these three approaches relate to climate impact and sustainability.
1. To always offer the customer the right polyurethane of the highest possible quality
All manufacturing, regardless of material choice, has an impact on the environment and climate.
Manufacturing 1 kg of polyurethane creates greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire chain, from raw material production, electricity consumption, casting, etc., and finally transport of the finished component to the customer.
The undoubtedly most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire chain is to minimize the need for newly manufactured products. By having an enormously large material range of different polyurethane qualities and extensive material knowledge, we can always, based on the customer’s specific needs, select the right polyurethane for the right application.
All polyurethane qualities have their respective advantages and disadvantages. And if we can select the right polyurethane quality, we can minimize unnecessary premature replacements. If we can double a product’s service life through the right choice of polyurethane quality, we can also roughly halve the product’s total environmental impact. This is sustainability in its purest form—sustainability both for the environment and from a technical perspective!
A large material range to choose from combined with extensive material knowledge is therefore a sustainability issue that we prioritize in all our products and projects. A good choice of polyurethane is not only positive for the environment but naturally also a significant benefit for our customers!
Furthermore, the fact that polyurethane is a polymer that stands out as one of the most durable currently available on the market also promotes this choice compared to a simpler polymer with limited service life.
2. To continuously work to reduce our climate footprint through active improvements throughout our entire value chain
Continuously working to reduce our environmental impact is a matter of course. UW-ELAST has for many years actively worked to reduce its environmental impact. This has now become a natural part of the company’s process.
Through environmental certification according to ISO 14001:2015, there are also requirements for environmental objectives and that these are effective. Reduced emissions and waste are not only beneficial for the environment and climate but also for the company’s total costs and thus ultimately also beneficial for our customers.
Below are examples of projects that have been completed and are ongoing within UW-ELAST to reduce the company’s climate impact.
Completed Sustainability Projects
- Reconstruction of blasting hall for recirculation of blasting media
- Replacement of heating system in Mariestad from oil to district heating from local combined heat and power plant with wood chip and sludge firing
- Installation of ventilation units with high heat recovery
- Material replacement project to select the best possible material for people and the environment (phase-out of 2,2′-dichloro-4,4′-methylenedianiline, MOCA)
- Switch to electricity contract with 100% renewable origin (solar, wind and water)
- Climate compensate for the company’s net emissions
Ongoing Sustainability Projects
- Gradual replacement of vehicle fleet with cars fully or partially powered by electricity
- Replacement of heating system in Traryd to a fossil-free alternative
- Investigation of the possibilities of installing a solar panel park in Mariestad
- Evaluate the possibility of recycling polyurethane by mixing granulated polyurethane into specific products to save on raw material production
- Combine different hardnesses of polyurethane during casting to replace incorporated metals.
3. To climate compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions that still occur as a result of our operations
Despite our efforts to continuously reduce our environmental impact, there will still be a net contribution of greenhouse gases as a result of our operations. UW-ELAST wants to take full responsibility for not contributing to climate change. Therefore, we have chosen to climate compensate for these emissions. Climate compensation should naturally be seen as a parallel measure alongside activities to totally reduce our emissions.
Climate compensation means that in our case we actively finance measures outside our own operations that lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is of the same magnitude as the company’s own emissions, direct and indirect.
We have chosen to climate compensate for the entire company’s contribution and follow the guidelines for how these are calculated through standards in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol developed by WRI (World Resources Institute) and WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)
Is it right to climate compensate?
Yes, of course it is right. Naturally, the very best would be if we could reduce our direct and indirect emissions to zero on our own. This is, for virtually all companies, an impossible task. Everything we do that affects our surroundings has a net contribution that consumes resources and thus contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. By purchasing an emission reduction of the same magnitude elsewhere, we can actively contribute to a positive transition for the climate. And here UW-ELAST wants to take its responsibility and contribute to a better future. Tricorona and UW-Elast AB have entered into an agreement under which Tricorona compensates for the climate impact from operations with Gold Standard projects. UW-ELAST AB has received a certificate for its environmental compensation.