Environmental Management
Climate change | Electricity | Waste | Responsible sourcing | Partnerships
The Ergonomic Solutions Group takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. We recognise that our activities have an impact on the environment in terms of the use of raw materials, emissions into the air, water, and waste generation. The company seeks to minimise this as far as is reasonably practicable.
The Ergonomic Solutions Group is committed to:
Continual improvement in our environmental performance
Preventing pollution
Compliance with all environmental legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to our industry
Climate Change
At Ergonomic Solutions, we calculate our carbon footprint each year based on our energy consumption: fuel, electricity and gas for the period 1 January – 31 December.
Trends
In 2019 we have seen an increase in CO² due to higher heat consumption in Q2 and Q3, related to the installation and running of a new automated paint plant. We have seen this stabilise again in Q4 and expect this to continue.
During 2020 we have changed the gas we are using in our paint shop from being based on fossil products to a biological gas called BioMix. The change is calculated to save 157 tons CO² on an annual basis calculated on the total impact of the whole manufacturing process. Documentation can be provided upon request.
Furthermore, antimicrobial paint powder was introduced in 2020, which enables us to supply safer products to our customers
We calculate and report the amount of CO2 emitted per solution manufactured each year. We aim to decrease this where possible.
Waste
Ergonomic Solutions is committed to reducing the volume of waste we produce that is sent to landfill.
Ergonomic Solutions Manufacturing in Aalborg currently undertakes the following:
- Recycling of paper/card
- Recycling of food waste
- Recycling of scrap metal
- Recycling of plastics
- Recycling of disposable batteries
Ergonomic Solutions’ Northern Region participates in a waste reduction scheme
Waste segregation:
- Recycling of all card and paper
- Recycling of other mixed recyclables
- Recycling of disposable batteries
- Recycling of used printer cartridges
Segregation at source helps us to achieve our target of reducing general waste. Our general waste is currently one-third of what was generated before segregation for recycling.
Awareness of plastic usage is an explicit cornerstone of our Environmental Policy and by the end of 2019, we discontinued the use of plastic cups in our factory in Denmark.
In 2019 the Ergonomic Solutions Group implemented double-sided printing as standard in all locations to prevent unnecessary paper usage, and we implemented a new automated paint shop, where we now are re-cycling 100% of paint powder and thereby eliminating any waste.
The Ergonomic Solutions Green Initiative
Recycling our incoming cardboard boxes as packaging material
In November 2021, we introduced a shredder machine that allows us to reuse incoming cardboard as packing material within our packing process.
This brings a number of important improvements to our incoming and outgoing packing processes, all of which have a positive impact on our local environment.
- We will no longer have to purchase 5.5 tons of cardboard per year for use as packing material
- By recycling our incoming boxes, we utilise what was previously waste cardboard
- This a more environmentally friendly method of packing which has an improved impact on our carbon footprint
The shredding process has been comprehensively tested for dust ingress, and all were positive with no impact on our products.
Responsible sourcing
We will continue to ensure responsible sourcing in the selection of materials and reduce the impact of resources used to operate the buildings.
Partnerships
Our aim is to:
- Create an incident-free and zero harm environment
- Create a great place to work where all staff are valued, respected and motivated and are knowledgeable about environmental issues and impacts
- Encourage local sourcing across the business
- Create a positive impact on the communities where we work
Lowering carbon footprint with green gas
We use BioMix gas in the paint shop at our factory in Aalborg, Denmark. This is a green gas based on vegetable oil and animal fat. It will contribute towards a greener environment, and lower our carbon footprint.
Proud to support the EET Group A/S “Green Friday” initiative and have donated 10,000 trees to be planted in the EET forest
“Sustainability and the environment are at the forefront of our business. It’s exciting for us to be supporting our partner EET in this way”
ES Group CEO Ian Dewar
Learn more about EET’s “Green Friday” initiative on the EET website.
