Environment

Our response to the Carbon Disclosure Project contains a detailed description of our calculation methods.

We have included the following gases in our calculation of direct and indirect CO₂eq emissions:

Direct CO₂ emissions: CO₂, HFCs, PFCs; CH₄/N₂O negligible; SF₆/NF₃ not available.

Indirect CO₂ emissions: CO₂.

In 2018, we emitted 0.047 kg of CO₂eq per euro of net sales.

No data is available for Scope 3 categories not listed above. Their relevance to the Group is assessed in the Scope 3 document.

Biogenic emissions (Scope 3), if present, are not being recorded.

Substances included: R-12, R-22, R-141b, R-402a, R-409a, R-401a.

Source for the emission factors: Montreal Protocol.

The VOC, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and dust emissions reported here are attributable to production activities as well as energy generation. These figures do not include emissions from vehicles. Emissions are determined partially based on measurements and partially based on calculations or estimates. Only some sites are required to measure individual parameters.

In shipping finished goods from our production sites to the local warehouses of our subsidiaries, we have been working to reduce the use of air shipping in favor of sea freight. This change aims to both reduce costs as well as lower transport-related CO₂ emissions.

At our sites in Billerica (MA, USA), Bedford (MA, USA), Molsheim (France), Tel Aviv (Israel), Rome (Italy), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Shizuoka-ken (Japan), and Shanghai (China), we use photovoltaics to produce power.

We currently only record purchased secondary energy – this is primarily electricity and, to a lesser extent, heat/steam/cold. Details on the local energy mix, including the respective percentage of primary energy, renewable energy, etc. are not available. Data on local energy efficiency in electricity or heat generation are not available either. Our production sites are located in countries with a widely varying energy mix.

Our Darmstadt and Gernsheim sites in Germany consume the most energy, representing 29% of our Group-wide total. Here, fossil energy (coal, gas, etc.) accounts for approx. 50.7%, nuclear energy approx. 12.7% and renewable energies approx. 36.6% of the energy mix. Renewable energies account for a higher share of electricity generation at production sites in Switzerland, with nuclear energy taking the lead in France. Based on an estimated global energy efficiency of 37% for the conversion and distribution of generated electricity, this results in a primary energy consumption of 2,050 GWh for 2018. Based on an estimated global energy efficiency of 85% for heat/steam/cold, this results in a primary energy consumption of 175 GWh for 2018. This yields a total primary energy consumption of 2,225 GWh for 2018. (The calculation is based on factors stated in the “Manual for energy management in practice - Systematically reducing energy costs” published by DENA, 12/2012.)

In 2018, the Group's energy intensity relative to net sales totaled 0.150 kWh/€.

These figures do not include the ground water that we use for safety measures at our Gernsheim site in Germany. Here, the water is fed back directly into natural circulation.

The recirculating cooling system at our Darmstadt, Germany facility accounts for the majority of reused water as it allows the water to be re-utilized multiple times. The volume of reused water is thus greater than the total volume of consumed water.

The wastewater volume includes indirect discharge into both public and Group-owned wastewater treatment plants, as well as direct discharge (such as rainwater and cooling water).

The wastewater treatment plant at our Gernsheim, Germany site also treats wastewater from the neighboring municipality of Biebesheim. The communal wastewater from Biebesheim is included in the wastewater volume as well as in the emissions stated in the table.

Emissions are determined partially based on measurements and partially based on calculations or estimates. Only some sites are required to measure individual parameters.

In 2018, approximately 4% of hazardous waste was shipped internationally.

As in previous years, the total waste generated continues to be heavily influenced by the waste from construction and remodeling activities. Construction, excavation and demolition waste accounted for 31% of our waste in 2018. Around 40 metric kilotons of construction, excavation and demolition waste was recycled.

The following table is part of the non-financial report