Mercedes Benz SA reducing carbon footprint by 15%
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has reduced its carbon footprint by 15%, well ahead of the global group target. This has been achieved in the short space of three years, since 2006. The environmental implications of the savings in kilowatts of gas and electricity, translates to a reduction of 12 703 tonnes of CO2.
“We are very proud of our achievement in respect of our reduction in CO2 emissions. Sustainable development is a driving force behind the way MBSA chooses to conduct its business and interact with the social and natural environment surrounding it,” explains Dr Hansgeorg Niefer, CEO of MBSA.
MBSA’s East London manufacturing plant has achieved the international target milestone though the successful implementation of:
- Installation of energy efficient lighting
- Solar water heating
- Re-use of pre-conditioned air and the optimisation of process temperature parameters
- Insulation improvements
- Optimising plant operating and shutdown times
- Implementation of energy efficient equipment
- Optimisation of compressed air systems
- Defining key cost drivers through active monitoring systems
All new equipment and infrastructure is planned against European environmental benchmark norms, which include the following:
- Underground fuel supply installations
- Inert gas fire protection in flammable chemical stores
- Reduction of CFCs in all refrigeration installations
- Elimination of mercury vapour lighting
- Ongoing monitoring of underground/surface water and air quality
- Reduction in water usage and waste water treatment
- Waste reduction, re-use and recycling programmes
These initiatives are integrated into the company’s environmental management programme, which is audited annually to verify compliance to the ISO14001 standard. These are in turn supported by global scorecard reviews of environmental performance among all Daimler plants worldwide.
The company has been recognised for its efforts, especially in the East London area, where it was awarded the Daily Dispatch Environmental Excellence Award in recognition for the efforts in Environmental Management in 2008.
“Ours is an integrated approach, as we hold in equal regard all our stakeholders - our employees; our shareholders; our communities; and our environment,“ says Niefer. “In the past year we have had many successes and achieved critical milestones in striving to fulfil our environmental vision. However, we were not unaffected by the economic meltdown experienced globally, and consequently we also experienced our fair share of challenges. Yet, through the continued hard work and dedication of our employees, we have been able to meet the majority of our sustainability targets,” says Niefer.
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