Mannheim (Germany), May 17, 2021 – The RKW Group is continuously expanding its commitment to climate protection and sustainability. After converting its German sites to green electricity last year, the company will also be using clean energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power in France and Belgium from June 2021. The bottom line is an estimated annual saving of probably 100,000 tonnes of CO\2\ – in relation to the electricity consumption of the 18 plants worldwide, this corresponds to a reduction of more than 60 percent.
"As the RKW Group, we are committed to our responsibility for environmental protection and resource conservation," says Harald Biederbick, CEO of RKW SE. The use of green electricity at a further four production cities is a consistent step on the way to a more sustainable energy supply – and, at the same time, an integral part of the corporate strategy.
Phasing out the use of electricity from fossil energy sources (coal, oil, natural gas) is only one aspect of CO2 reduction – but with regard to the energy-intensive manufacturing process of plastic films, it is a particularly important lever. In relation to the total energy demand for heating, cooling and electricity (Scope 1 and 2), the RKW Group has reduced its CO2 emissions by around 40 percent since 2019.
"This result is a great success and an important contribution protection the climate – but there is so much more we want to do," Biederbick continues. In the future, more production sites are to be converted to "clean electricity", and the company is also increasingly focusing on efficiency measures. "Every kilowatt hour saved not only helps to protect the environment, but also reduces costs." Concrete examples of this are the use of LED lighting in the production halls or the use of particularly energy-saving, speed-controlled motors – here alone, the company is investing a six-figure sum this year.
Furthermore, as one of the world's leading film manufacturers, the RKW Group has always been working to improve its environmental performance. One example is the outer skin of a nappy, the so-called backsheet: by consistently reducing the thickness of the material, the carbon footprint of these films is now around 40 per cent lower than 25 years ago. In addition to the development of ever thinner, ever more elastic and thus more efficient films, the RKW Group is continuously working on giving plastics an ecological perspective and thus assuming responsibility for future generations.