Environment
Alfa Laval works to optimize the use of natural resources in both our own and our customers’ operations. As part of this commitment, we continuously work to reduce our energy and water use, decrease carbon emissions as well as improve our waste management processes in our production and service operations. The Alfa Laval Group has five environmental targets towards 2020. These are to reduce energy and water consumption, decrease carbon emissions, eliminate banned chemicals and increase waste recycling.
Energy and renewables
We aim to reduce energy consumption by 10% and carbon emissions by 15% compared with 2015 in absolute terms.
We work to achieve the targets by focusing on the analysis and improvement of the company’s energy use on different levels, from individual behavioural changes to concrete energy saving projects, as well as by increasing the proportion of renewable electricity used.
Water management
Alfa Laval's main production processes do not require significant amounts of water. Most of the water consumed is used in the testing of our products and in their servicing. The target is to reduce water consumption by 2% per year and Alfa Laval concentrates its efforts on sites situated in regions where there is water scarcity.
Most of the water consumed is used in the testing of our products and in service procedures. We have sites in 10 water-stressed regions. The water consumption from these sites represents 13% of the company’s total water consumption. During the year, the data quality for water consumption has been further improved.
Waste and chemical management
Alfa Laval has the objective to recycle 85% of the waste generated in its operations by 2020. Alfa Laval has a robust material and chemical selection process for its products and we work to reduce the use of substances of very high concern and to eliminate chemicals listed as banned in our Black and Grey list. The list follows the regulations in our industry and sometimes goes beyond the requirements of national legislation.
Energy consumption
Carbon emissions
Water consumption
Technologies enabling improvement
Everything we do has an impact on the environment. The world is looking for ways to reduce pollution, supply clean water, consume less energy and find renewable sources of energy. Alfa Laval's core competences within heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling technologies are utilized in a large number of industrial and environmental protection processes. Thus enabling a reduced environmental footprint in our customers' processes.
For more than 125 years, Alfa Laval has been providing customers with solutions that help them to re-use and protect natural resources such as energy and water in industrial processes. Today, sustainable development is high on industry's agenda. Alfa Laval continuously innovates and refines clean technologies; supporting this drive to reduce environmental impact.
Fresh water
- Cleaning of wastewater and reduction of sludge volumes
- Recycling of effluents
- Desalination of sea water
- Cleaning of ballast water onboard ships
- Treatment of bilge water onboard ships
Clean air
- Reduction of CO2 emissions
- Reduction of sulphur emissions
- Production of renewable fuels
- Cleaning of crankcase gases from diesel engines
- Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
- Reduced energy consumption
- Improved heat recovery
- Efficient domestic heating
- Natural refrigeration
- Efficient air-conditioning
- Minimized refrigerant emissions