Climate change is accelerating the transition to more sustainable ways of working. Reducing energy consumption, lowering carbon emissions and consuming fewer natural resources through recycling and reuse are some of the key imperatives in achieving sustainability – and Desoutter believes it is a journey we need to take together.
“At Desoutter we are committed to supporting our customers, our employees and our suppliers in driving down the environmental impacts of smart assembly and drilling operations,”
“We work collaboratively to ensure that sustainability is embedded in everything we do and guides every decision we make.”
Annabelle Bray, Sustainability Manager - Desoutter
Sustainability roadmap
Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the United Nations as their guide, Desoutter evaluates activities and benchmarks progress using external Corporate Social Responsibility assessment platforms, such as EcoVadis & NQC Supplier Assurance. These platforms provide clarity on areas for improvement and drive the company’s sustainability roadmap. Significant progress has already been made:
● Since 2021, all new or redesigned Desoutter products are assigned a Product Carbon Footprint calculation, based on ISO 14067:2018;
● 100% of Desoutter sites now use renewable electricity and replace gas with biomass;
● All suppliers are to be evaluated against sustainability criteria.
Further improvements in offsetting CO2 emissions associated with essential business travel and switching vehicles to more sustainable fuels are also in progress. Circularity is another important focus, with Desoutter redesigning its product packaging to make it more recyclable and instigating a PCB refurbishment scheme.
Customer carbon reduction
In addition to decarbonising its own operations and supply chain, Desoutter wants to make it as easy as possible for customers to improve their sustainability credentials. “Most of the CO2 emissions associated with our smart assembly solutions occur during use,” says Annabelle. “It’s therefore very important that we support customers in selecting the most energy-efficient tools for their application and in optimising their usage.”
Two new online tools have been introduced to enable Desoutter customers to calculate the CO2 savings and impacts associated with their smart assembly solutions.
The Product Environment Card demonstrates the CO2 reductions possible by replacing a pneumatic tool with an electric equivalent.
The CO2 online calculator uses customer-specific parameters, such as location, number of tools deployed and operating hours, to reveal the carbon footprint involved. Using the data supplied makes it easier for purchasers to compare the environmental credentials of different tool options and also enables customers to have confidence in how Desoutter smart assembly solutions will contribute to their own sustainability goals.
Succeeding together
“Sustainability is a never-ending journey, and there will always be a better way to do things and mitigating climate change is not something one company alone can achieve,” concludes Annabelle. “Working together with our employees, our suppliers and our customers means we can share best practices and learn from each other, so we can continually aim for higher achievements.”
For more information, read our Commitment to Sustainability, which details Desoutter’s commitments and progress against targets in the areas of Environment, People and Ethics & Transparency.
