Environmental performance 2021 at a glance (year-on-year)

Intensity of total
energy consumption

%

-4
Waste sent to
recycling

%

+47
Intensity of total
material
consumption

%

-1
Business travel

%

+8
Total water
withdrawal

%

+7
Intensity of
greenhouse
gas emissions (scope 1+2)

%

-13
Intensity of
environmental
impact (total
balance)

%

+13
Intensity of environmental
impact (core balance)

%

-8

Environmental management

HUBER+SUHNER considers care for the environment an important and vital aspect of its corporate responsibility. As stated in the environmental policy, the company strives to continuously improve its environmental performance and make the most efficient use possible of raw and auxiliary materials, energy, and water. HUBER+SUHNER also aims to avoid air and water pollution as well as to minimise the use and disposal of toxic and hazardous chemicals.

Environmental Footprint

The figures below show how the various material and energy flows contribute to the total environmental impact of HUBER+SUHNER. Extraction, processing, and transport of the raw material copper accounted for 64 % of the company’s total environmental impact. Other significant environmental aspects were the remaining raw, auxiliary and process materials4 (20 %), product transports to customers and between HUBER+SUHNER sites (11 %), and electricity (3 %).

The core balance includes those material and energy flows that the company can directly influence. The significant environmental aspects were electricity (71 %), heating (11 %), and waste disposal (8 %), followed by direct emissions of chemicals6 (7 %) and fuel (3 %). Consequently, most environmental targets relate to the top three environmental aspects of the core balance. Even in the core balance, the environmental impact of the company’s water withdrawal has a very low share (< 0.3 %). Therefore HUBER+SUHNER publishes its water withdrawal but no water footprint.

Even in the core balance, the environmental impact of the company’s water withdrawal has a very low share (< 0.5 %). This is why HUBER+SUHNER publishes its water withdrawal but no water footprint.

Environmental impact 2021

(total balance)

Environmental impact 2021

(core balance)

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

Learn more about the scope and methodology

FOOTPRINTS IN THE PAST

See the 5-years development of the environmental footprint

Resource efficiency

Resource efficiency has both an economic and an environmental effect. Therefore, it has always been an important part of environmental management at HUBER+SUHNER. As can be expected with a significantly increased economic performance, resource consumption increased accordingly as well as the amount of waste (energy +13 %, copper +15 %, plastics +27 %, water +7 %, and waste generation +34 % year-on-year). The significantly increased plastic consumption can be explained by the improved data gathering. In terms of waste, the amount of recyclable waste in particular increased (+47 % year-on-year).

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in scope 1+27 slightly increased to 11 500 t in 2021 (+3 % year-on-year). GHG emissions in scope 38 sharply increased by 45 % year-on-year mainly due to the expansion of the boundaries and the improvements of material and transport data quality.

The figure shows that copper, all other materials, product transports to customers and between sites as well as electricity account for 89 % of the carbon footprint of HUBER+SUHNER. Business traffic, a significant driver before the pandemic, did not pick up again in 2021.

Carbon footprint 2021

Science-based target

In 2016, HUBER+SUHNER committed to achieving a science based GHG reduction target in scope 1+2 by 2025. This target was validated by experts from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). It was initially designed to support limiting global warming to 2 °C. In 2019, the CO2 reduction target was adapted to the more stringent criteria for limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. It reads: “HUBER+SUHNER Group commits to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50 % per added value by 2025 from a 2015 base year.” In scope 3, HUBER+SUHNER has defined a voluntary, non-validated reduction target: “HUBER+SUHNER Group also commits to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions per added value 30 % by 2025 from a 2015 base year.”

As can be seen in the figure, the company is still fully on track in scope 1+2 thanks to the increased share of renewable electricity and other improvements. In scope 3, the deviation from the target path looks quite dramatic. However, it is mainly due to the improvements in data quality and the further expansion of the system boundaries.

Science-based targets in scope 1+2 and scope 3 and actual performance
(indexed graph: Changes in the year-on-year comparison due to methodological
changes were excluded, for example, changes due to altered background data.)