Page 19 - ILMA Compoundings - September 2021

By Robert Bittner

may be, it can never be a manufacturer’s foremost concern. A reduce their impact,” said Apu Gosalia, independent sustain-
host of other factors must necessarily affect production. ability expert and partner at Germany-based sustainability
“If you’re putting a lubricant in a commercial aircraft’s hydrau- consultancy Fokus Zukunft. That means questioning every
lic system that controls the landing gear and the flight control, element in the process, asking: “How sustainable is produc-
your No. 1 objective is to do everything you can to make sure tion? How much energy and water are consumed during
the people on that airplane get on the ground safely. So, your production? Are the products sustainable at the point of end
highest-level objective is going to be safety,” Fitch pointed out. use? What comes before and after the blending process that
“Your concern about the environment is minimal. may affect the environment? How high is the corporate car-
“Or look at the big turbine generators in use at power bon footprint? How high is the product carbon footprint?”
plants. Downtime can cost more than a million dollars a For accurate answers, Gosalia recommends making a
day.” If those turbines are not generating electricity, they’re comprehensive assessment of the carbon dioxide emissions
losing money, and thousands of customers are losing vital at your own operations that are generated through heat, fuel
services. “So, there the focus is more on reliability, repair and electricity consumption in production, administration
costs and reducing downtime more so than how much fuel — including business trips and employee commutes — and
that machine might be consuming in the process. waste generation. This should include direct emissions from
“We have to balance all of our objectives: safety, reliability, owned or controlled sources and indirect emissions from
sustainability and the environment,” he said. purchased energy, as well as all other emissions in a compa-
ny’s value chain.
Measuring Your Footprint Once you have a complete picture regarding carbon

The first step to improving sustainability is assessing your dioxide emissions, the next step is to look for opportunities
current carbon footprint. to reduce those emissions. “For instance, about 80% of
“Lubricant companies must take a detailed look at each the emissions of a typical lube manufacturer are caused by
aspect of their process and value chain, looking for ways to heat and electricity consumption, making energy efficiency

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