Sustainability Roadmap
As a global manufacturer it is important for us to monitor and reduce our carbon emissions. The automotive industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 12% of global emissions. At Kautex, we know our planet can’t be better until we are better, which is why by 2030, we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 80% in Scopes 1 & 2, and 30% in Scope 3. By 2050, we aim to be carbon neutral in all scopes.
We have developed a sustainability roadmap covering actions on the three different scopes which are defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Listed below are the definitions of each scope and what we are doing to reduce emissions in them:
- Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from sources a company owns or controls. To lower Scope 1 emissions, Kautex is focusing on reducing in-house emissions through energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions.
- Scope 2 emissions are Indirect emissions from consumption and generation of purchased electricity. To lower Scope 2 emissions, Kautex is focusing on powering operations activities with renewable energy.
- Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions that are not produced, owned or controlled by the company. To lower Scope 3 emissions, Kautex is focusing on reducing carbon emissions in the supply chain by working with strategic suppliers, sourcing low-carbon material and focusing on a circular economy.
Our Programs
Protecting our environment is a crucial aspect of our company’s philosophy.
The main highlights of our environmental program are reducing energy consumption, waste management and noise reduction.
In addition to the recycling of plastics, we also conduct research in plastics made of renewable primary products. Such biopolymers can be used in applications in the automotive industry as well as in packaging. These materials can reduce our environmental impact and offer improved sustainability. Resources are conserved and waste is reduced.
Reducing environmental footprint
Kautex offers a product portfolio that makes vehicles lighter, more fuel-efficient and has the capability to meet lower and lower emissions targets.
The Kautex Energy Management Action Plan (KEMAP) is a best-practice framework to operate our facilities in an energy-efficient manner. The KEMAP was built and designed based on opportunities identified from energy kaizen/workshop events. The KEMAP has three basic components:
- Process textbooks
- Analysis sheets
- Energy scorecard
Each component of the KEMAP provides information on how energy systems, and changes to these systems, can impact our energy consumption and costs. We are creating a similar process to focus on waste management and reduction.
Our long-term vision is the elimination of adverse environmental impacts. As part of this, we have committed to sourcing green energy for all plants in China, Germany and Mexico today and will have our North American plants on green energy by 2025. For more information on actions we've taken, check out our Sustainability Insights page!
The Textron Achieve 2025 program allows effective partnering and sharing of energy and waste reduction techniques across the entire enterprise. Under Kautex’s 0-0-0 program, we strive to achieve zero scrap and waste.
Kautex has also achieved ISO50001 and all of its German locations are certified by the TUV Rheinland.
Achievements
As this is a subject that is continuously evolving, we are proud of the strides we have already made on sustainability. Here are a few highlights:
- Through renewable energy sourcing that we started in Germany in 2021 and expanded across Europe and into Asia and the Americas in 2022, we have been able to lower our electricity carbon footprint by 55%.
- To meet Euro 6 emission standards of limiting Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to 0.08 g/km for vehicles with diesel-powered engines, Kautex has developed an SCR system. Our SCR system injects AdBlue®/DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid: urea/water solution) into the exhaust system, reducing the harmful NOx emission to the simple compounds water and nitrogen. SCR systems can reduce NOx by approximately 85% (98% less than EU 4/5).
- To spread knowledge on the environmental impacts of our products, we built a custom application, known as the D2CO2 app, to easily complete a life cycle analysis (LCA) of any of our products. We have developed the app to require our key stakeholders to assess the environmental impact of our products and ensure we are carefully tracking and actively reducing our scope 3 emissions.
