Höganäs publishes its sustainability report for 2018
May 1, 2019
Höganäs has published its sustainability report for 2018 (Courtesy Höganäs AB)
Sweden’s Höganäs AB has released its second annual sustainability report, highlighting the company’s activities and sustainability performance in 2018. As the leading producer of iron powders, Höganäs employs around 2,500 across eighteen production units in eleven countries. Its product portfolio contains more than 3,500 products and the company serves around 3,000 customers globally.
In the report, Fredrik Emilson, Höganäs President and CEO, stated, that “2018 was characterised by high demand for our metal powders, organisational changes and integration of new acquisitions. Even though high demand is positive, it also brings challenges. We have done our utmost to balance our customers’ needs and deliver according to plan. Our co-workers have accomplished great results despite the high workload.”
Höganäs stated that it is on track to decrease energy use by 10% by 2020, compared to energy usage in 2010. The 2018 result was said to show an 8.7% decrease. “It will be a challenge to keep up the pace and to scale up good energy-saving solutions in the entire organisation. The decision to certify our energy intensive operations according to ISO 50001, Energy Management, will fuel the progress,” added Emilson.
One of the company’s goals is to become a climate neutral operation, minimising its climate footprint through both established and newly developed methods. “We also need to invest in research and innovation to make improvements beyond what is possible today,” added Nicklas Lång, Senior Vice President Sustainability, Höganäs Group. “At present we focus on improving energy efficiency, transitioning to use renewable energy in production and transport, replacing fossil process coals and rethinking our materials supply.”
A long term Climate Roadmap, that aims to decouple earnings from climate impact emissions, is reported to be underway. “The Climate Roadmap will guide the strategy and business planning, as well as form the basis for action plans in the years to come. The areas covered in this work are, among others the upstream scope 3 CO2 emissions, efficient sourcing of raw materials and transports, supply of fuels and energy and internal energy efficiency,” added Lång. “To get closer to our vision, the necessary co-operation with industry partners, academia and society’s various actors will continue in the years to come.”
One such joint activity is a pilot-scale plant for renewable energy gas, which is currently under start-up for testing at the company’s site in Höganäs, Sweden. If successful, the plant will be integrated permanently into operations and replace about 50 gigawatt hours of non-renewable energy per year from 2020.
“As we are convinced that metal powder can improve society, it is natural for us to integrate sustainability in our business. We strive not only to reduce our own negative impact, but also to contribute positively to society through more sustainable solutions. Systematic assessment of our products’ lifecycles will help us meet customer expectations and promote the products’ sustainability advantages with a knowledge-based approach,” added Emilson.
“The sustainability challenges society faces are real. Everyone – government, business, academia, NGO’s – must join forces and do what we can for our world. We acknowledge the complexity and, as the biggest player in our field, our responsibility to drive the industry development forward by investing resources and time. In this report, we aim to be transparent and truthfully describe our performance and challenges ahead,” he concluded.
