Annual Report 2010 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

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establishing a central hub will in future halve transportation distances and cut 165 tons of annual CO 2
emissions. A program of CO 2
audits of company sites has also been launched with the aim of creating
greater transparency about energy consumption and CO 2
emissions and identifying scope for reductions.
Following a pilot program to calculate the CO 2
footprint of the Munich and Berlin sites, the program
is now to be rolled out at other locations around the world.
Energy-efficient products
Knorr-Bremse pays great attention to the potential environmental impact of the innovative technologies
it develops. It was, for example, the first company in the rail vehicle sector to market a compressor
that operates without oil lubrication. A more recent example is the newly developed HVAC system
from Knorr-Bremse’s subsidiary Merak, which uses a new ultra-eco-friendly refrigerant – HFO1234yf –
which has a very low global warming potential rating. In the commercial vehicle sector, climate
change and pressure to reduce costs have also boosted demand for energy-efficient technologies in
recent years – which is why Knorr-Bremse has long since made the development of fuel-saving technologies
a priority and has showcased various solutions at trade fairs over the years. These have included
the LEADER driver information system, which enables the fuel consumption of rail vehicles to
be reduced by up to 15% and – in the truck sector – the Pneumatic Booster System (PBS), which
eliminates turbo-lag and saves 2-3% fuel. At the same time, PBS increases engine power, enabling a
smaller, lighter engine with lower fuel consumption to be used. The year also saw the launch of a further
development of the Electronic Air Control System (EAC2), which differs from conventional com-
Customers are also increasingly making demands on Knorr-Bremse in this respect, with some even
explicitly quoting the ten principles of the UN Global Compact when placing orders. During the year
under review, Knorr-Bremse started to develop its own standard code of behavior for suppliers, using
the UN Global Compact as an important, globally recognized frame of reference.