Annual Report 2014

Environmental report
Protecting our planet
3.1
Protecting our planet
As a leader in sustainable
building solutions,
limiting our impact on the
planet is important for
Etex. In 2014, we stayed
true to our two-pronged
strategy: minimising
our use of energy and
natural resources by
manufacturing more
efficiently, and helping
our customers reduce
their carbon footprint
through our products and
solutions.
Building technology plays a critical role
in addressing global climate challenges.
That is why we incorporate environmental
considerations into every aspect of our
business: our affordable and sustainable
products allow customers to create spaces
that are both comfortable and energy
efficient, while our sites are geared towards
the reduction of our own environmental
impact.
Energy consumption and
CO2 emissions
Many of our processes require heating to
guarantee the final product quality. This
makes reducing our energy consumption
a complex and ongoing challenge.
Nevertheless, lowering our carbon footprint
is an important part of our environmental
efforts. Of course, striving to reduce energy
consumption is inextricably linked with
business objectives, such as reducing
production costs and safeguarding our
competitive position by using less energy.
Our manufacturing and engineering
departments continue to focus on
initiatives such as cogeneration to enable
further progress.
The attached charts show the percentages
of energy used from different sources. In
2014, we used 2% more energy than the
year before.
The consumption of energy per tonne
of material produced increased by over
2%, reaching 671 kWh. Meanwhile,
CO2 emissions per tonne produced
rose from 113 to 114.
More energy, less waste: how
we recover and reuse heat
Our Neubeckum factory offers a striking
example of how process optimisation
and sustainability can be two sides of the
same coin. In our manufacturing process,
steam is used to dry our façade boards
and fibre boards, while heat is needed for
the production of concrete tiles and fibre
cement. In the past, the Neubeckum plant
bought conventional electricity for heating
and used oil-fired boilers to produce steam.
Now, the factory takes the lead in
cogeneration — the simultaneous
production of electricity and useful heat.
ppAt our Eternit factory in Neubeckum
(Germany), a cogeneration unit
delivers half of the electricity we need.
Photographer: Jef Boes, Ghent, Belgium.
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