Our efforts towards environmental sustainability
This year, we have all been made aware more than ever before of the pressing issue of environmental pollution, the sustainability of our actions and the impact of human life on the planet.
The 2030 Agenda, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, urges each and every one of us to play our part, every day, in building a different and sustainable world.
We have been challenged to take on a more active role and have embraced this challenge with great enthusiasm. In fact, we have added new goals to our strategic corporate sustainability plan.
ALL THE MATERIALS USED IN MANUFACTURING ARE THE RESULT OF A SUSTAINABLE PROCESS
Over the years, we have implemented a number of sustainable activities. One of the first things we did was to upgrade our plants in order to make them eco-friendly. In the mechanical processing department, we replaced old fan equipment with new generation equipment. We decided to use LED lighting in several departments and installed condensing boilers in all of them. The modernisation work carried out also involved the roofing of Caleffi 1 (in Fontaneto): 36 % of the 47,000-square metre area now has a modern reflective surface. The goal is to complete the project over the next few years so as to achieve not only significant energy savings, but also an effective improvement in working conditions.
No waste and the reduction of polluting materials are also a priority for Caleffi. As a manufacturer of heating and plumbing components and systems, our company processes huge amounts of brass every year.
We comply with regulations requiring the use of low-lead or lead-free alloys for certain countries. In order to keep ahead of the times, meet market demands for increasingly greener products and comply with future legal requirements, we use low lead alloy components on many of our products, which are distributed worldwide.
Moreover, we strive to find solutions aimed at recovering 100 % of waste from mechanical processing. We install innovative systems on machinery in our production plants so that we can also recover brass scraps and oil and emulsion residue, which play a crucial role in certain processes. We don’t take anything for granted, and the fact that we are able do this in large numbers has a remarkable impact on production: our oil recovery system allows us to recover more than 50 % of the oil we use in a year (90,000 litres) and the TTS system to sift, sort and recover 100 % of the swarf produced (more than 6,500,000 kilos).
A total of 1,000,000 kilos of high-performance plastics are processed at our plants every year. We definitively got rid of scraps and milled material more than 10 years ago. Today, by constantly innovating our production plants, we are able to reuse and recycle up to 98.5 %, collecting anything that can be cleaned and reused, re-milled and fed back into the machine, or sorting anything that can be recycled by external companies.
Our major recovery project also includes plastic packaging: for some lines and for specific customers, we no longer use shrink wrapping and have made changes to our packaging system. As a result, we are able to use 6 tonnes less cellophane per year.
Over the last two years, the company has been slowly getting rid of paper and cardboard. We have introduced a new waste sorting system by strategically placing 21 vertical presses to compact huge amounts of cardboard (as well as incoming plastic packaging) into compact bales, which are fully recycled.
From recycling cardboards, we prevent at least 300 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. Equivalent to planting 2,000 new trees.
We are working on several projects in the field of ecological sustainability. In addition, we are looking at solutions that will allows us to colour technopolymers in an eco-friendly way and to recover up to 100 % of post-processing waste. In short, we never stop.
85 % OF OUR MATERIALS ARE SOURCED FROM ITALY
We have a shared sustainability vision. We strive to build a virtuous circle involving our suppliers, personnel and customers. We know all our suppliers well and have established relationships of trust with many of them, which have been maintained over the years since those who work with us must uphold the same ethical, social and quality standards that we have set ourselves. In the last few years, we have opted to maintain a short supply chain: in fact, today, 98.7 % of the raw materials used to manufacture Caleffi products are sourced from Europe, and 85 % exclusively from Italy. This conscious choice allows us to directly and continuously monitor our suppliers, significantly reduce CO2 emissions, and make sure that we do not source our materials from countries where human labour is not valued, respected and developed.
AND OUR PACKAGING? IT’S 100 % RECYCLABLE
We are committed to green packaging in order to minimise the environmental impact of our supplies and we are also exploring new opportunities for zero-impact packaging. In the meantime, we urge our customers to properly dispose of boxes, wrappers and protective packaging.
How? Since February 2021, we have been gradually adding new content to our iconic green boxes, i.e. disposal instructions, which are now more essential than ever on packaging.
We are confident that being more transparent with our customers will help them not to dispose of waste incorrectly and not to be lazy about following disposal instructions. Helping you to help the planet, all together.
