NKT lowers CO2 emissions
The global climate and environment is under pressure due to human activity. The UN Climate Panel deems it overwhelmingly probable that the global warming we have experienced in the past 50 years is manmade. Accordingly, the UN is working to stabilize the atmospheric content of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, at a level that will prevent serious manmade climate changes. The target is to avoid that the global warning rises above 2oC compared to today's level.
As a global industrial conglomerate, NKT wishes to support the development of more sustainable business operations, including reduction of the CO2 emissions. The largest CO2 impact is related to the use of our products. We therefore invest in the development of new products with lower energy consumption and in products supporting the spread of renewable energy production. However, we also focus on reducing CO2 emissions in our own production, and it is our ambition to reduce the Group’s carbon dioxide emissions relative to output by 12% in the period 2009-2011.
Resource awareness
For many years we have aimed to act responsibly regarding our use of resources. As an example, in the period of 1995-2001 NKT Cables reduced the energy consumption by more than 20% per ton produced cable in Denmark. This was achieved by aggregation of production and other optimization actions. From 2001 to 2008, we have reduced the energy consumption in our four European factories by 48% per ton produced cable by aggregating smaller productions and not least by reducing heating expenses.
In February 2010, NKT disclosed its first report on progress to the UN Global Compact organisation.NKT Cables, Nilfisk-Advance, Photonics Group and NKT Flexibles, furnish data covering a number of CO2 influencing activities for the yearly reports.
The efforts to reduce CO2 emissions differ from company to company. Energy efficiency is always a prime consideration when relocating production to new premises. We also work actively to reduce heat consumption in existing buildings through improved insulation and more intelligent heating systems. In addition, company travel is widely being replaced by video conferencing, and for example Nilfisk-Advance is converting all company cars to be running on diesel.
Innovation
In the product development field, still more attention is given to energy efficiency and recycling. If we can reduce the electricity consumption of an industrial cleaner by 10% without compromising its performance, we can save relatively more CO2 than by limiting NKT’s own CO2 emissions.
Since 2008, NKT has reported its CO2 emissions to the international organization Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP.