Climate-neutral with a plan – sustainability in the plastics industry

Successful business means sustainable business. Because according to KraussMaffei, sustainability has both ecological and economic advantages. Recently, the company reaffirmed its goal of being climate-neutral by 2030. Its strategy includes recycling solutions, energy-efficient construction and heating, and sustainable product development.

In an interview with K-MAG, CEO Dr Michael Ruf talks about what climate neutrality actually means for KraussMaffei, how exactly it is to be achieved and what positive changes can already be observed in the industry.

Dr Ruf, you want to become climate neutral by 2030. What does that mean for you?

Dr. Michael Ruf: For KraussMaffei, climate neutrality means that the processes in the production plants do not affect the climate. Internally, we are working on this issue with a broad-based cross-functional team in close cooperation with my colleagues on the management board and myself.

An important prerequisite for this is a detailed CO2 balance of all our sites and products in order to lay the foundation for a large number of CO2 reduction projects. We are currently working on infrastructure projects such as our two new plants in Parsdorf (Munich) and Laatzen (Hanover), we are placing an even stronger focus on the circular economy and are working on a variety of digital products that optimise the use of our machines by our customers, for example in terms of energy efficiency.

You just mentioned your two new plants in Parsdorf and Laatzen. What exactly do you take into account in their construction and energy supply with regard to your goal?

Ruf: When we build our new plants, we make sure that they meet the latest standards in terms of sustainability. All buildings are modern and energy-efficient – among other things, they have excellent insulation so that less energy is used, especially for heating the halls. New production facilities also reduce environmental impact and energy consumption. Our new factories will also have parking garages with e-charging stations, which – like all buildings – will be greened.

In terms of energy supply, we are relying on photovoltaic systems on the roofs in both Parsdorf and Laatzen. In Parsdorf, we are even building one of the largest roof-mounted photovoltaic systems in Europe!

We also operate a combined heat and power unit at our new company headquarters in Parsdorf, which supplies us with additional energy and heat. Thanks to the high efficiency of such a power plant, the energy stored in the fuel can be used more efficiently than is possible with conventional power generators.

You also want to save CO2 in product development. How can this be achieved?

Ruf: The use of materials is to be continuously reduced through consistent lightweight construction. One focus here is in particular on reducing the use of cast iron and steel, as this is where a particularly large amount of CO2 is produced. This is achieved, for example, by optimising the topology of our panels.

In order to also achieve savings with our machines during their use by the customer, we consistently develop digital functions and products further. With APCplus, for example, the reject rate in component production drops to almost zero – thus we counteract a waste of material.

In addition, in production within the various production sites, care is taken to procure as many bought-in parts locally as possible in order to avoid the high CO2 emissions of long transport routes.

In addition to developing new products, we naturally also keep a close eye on our installed base. Many injection moulding machines with older control generations have limited power, which has a negative impact on performance in new applications or the ability to integrate them into the production network. The remedy here is the smart MC6 upgrade. It enables the requirements in production to be fully met again in a short time. This is another way in which KraussMaffei contributes to sustainability and thus to CO2 reduction, as the machine service life can be extended.

What particular challenges do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?

Ruf: Our goal is to use the measures mentioned to anchor climate protection even more firmly as an essential part of our corporate culture. In order to achieve this by 2030, we need to involve all employees from all departments of our global organisation even more and convince each and every individual to get actively involved. We have to consider everything – from the demands of the market on our products to the decommissioning of our plants at our customers. This is our challenge until 2030, but I am convinced that we will master this task together!

What positive changes have you already observed in recent years?

Ruf: The awareness that climate change is real and has causes that we can all influence has intensified a lot over the past few years. That is fundamentally a positive development, albeit against a threatening backdrop. But this awareness today will help us develop the solutions for tomorrow. That is what we are working on.