RKW Group invests in energy efficiency

Focus on speed-controlled motors and more economical lighting

Mannheim, April 26 2021 – 25 projects, eleven locations, an investment sum of around 650,000 euros - the RKW Group is continuing its commitment to greater energy efficiency and sustainability in 2021. The measures this year focus on optimising or retrofitting existing facilities, new lighting systems and improved processes. This is associated with a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1400 tonnes per year.

A total of 13 of the company's sites applied with 35 projects, the majority of which are now being implemented. This procedure has a long tradition at RKW: efficiency potentials have already been identified in this way in previous years and raised through suitable measures. Further important projects will be added in 2021 - the largest single item is the use of particularly energy-saving, speed-controlled motors at the Michelstadt site.

The use of LED lighting can also reduce energy requirements in production. RKW is investing in this at the German sites in Michaelstadt, Echte and Wasserburg as well as at the plants in Saultain and Chamboeuf (France), Hoogstraten (Belgium) and Helsingborg (Sweden). In addition, further measures are planned in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Guangzhou (China).

Site RKW Castelletta, Chamboeuf, France

"As the RKW Group, we are committed to our responsibility for resource efficiency and sustainability," says Alexander Wansel, Executive Vice President Operations. He adds that the production of films is an energy-intensive process, especially since the plants produce around the clock and throughout the year. "This means that our annual measures to increase energy efficiency are not only an important contribution to reducing costs and thus securing the future of the sites - they are also, above all, an important lever for continuously improving our environmental performance."

In addition to increasing energy efficiency, the RKW Group switched its German sites to green electricity last year. This was associated with a reduction of CO2 emissions by a further 80,000 tonnes in relation to the electricity consumption of the plants (Scope 2), which corresponds to a decrease of around 80 per cent.

About the RKW Group

The RKW Group is an independent, privately owned company headquartered in Mannheim, Germany and one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of excellent film solutions. RKW is the market leader in the areas of hygiene and agricultural films, films for the beverage industry and packaging for powdery goods. In addition, the company makes films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and converting industries as well as for the construction sector. RKW’s sustainable films enable its customers to improve the daily life of consumers all over the world.

In the fiscal year 2020, RKW generated total sales of EUR 784 million. About 3,000 employees process 350,000 metric tons of plastic materials at 19 locations around the world. True to the corporate slogan "When excellence matters", the company, which was founded in 1957, offers outstanding performance in terms of quality and service. Respect and reliability are the core values of RKW and form the basis of the company’s success.