We support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and have decided to focus on the following goals:
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
Goal 4: Quality education
Goal 5: Gender equality
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
Goal 12: Responsible consumption
and production
Goal 13: Climate action
Sustainable Development Goal 7:
Affordable and clean energy
Producing high quality wire consumes a lot of energy and we are aware that sourcing that energy responsibly has the potential to significantly lessen our environmental footprint. This is why we work focused on all our sites to circumvent fossil fuel consumption as much as possible.
We work with energy efficiency and transition to electricity that comes from fossil-free production at all sites based on the local conditions. Energy sourcing options for our sites vary based on their location and the year that they were built, so each site is on a journey of their own to reach their respective targets.
The following are examples of what actions have been taken on our sites in the past years to achieve the targets regarding water presented above:
• At Site Garphyttan, old fans have been replaced with energy efficient ventilation fans which reduce the energy consumption by approximately 790 MWh/year.
• At Site Garphyttan, there have been replacements of earlier electric fans in warehouses to heat water fans instead which reduce the energy consumption by approximately 480 MWh/year.
• At Site Leeds, energy saving programs have been initiated regarding reduced annealing soak time and a furnace shut down program to match production schedule.
More actions regarding energy actions being taken are presented under the goal regarding Climate Action.
Sustainable Development Goal 6:
Clean water and sanitation
Water is an indispensable part of our processes, but we are also aware that it is a resource that is becoming more precious by the day. This is why we are trying to save and recycle water in any way that we can. All our sites have different approaches and systems for water sourcing and recycling, and each site works hard on their own areas that need improvement.
One of the systems that we have found especially effective in preserving water is the Reversed Osmosis system, which is a type of water treatment that is used in different industrial processes.
The following are examples of what actions have been taken on our sites in the past years to achieve the targets regarding water presented above:
• At Site Garphyttan, planning is in progress for installation of a water tower to use cooling water more efficiently.
• At Site San José Iturbide, a reversed osmosis system is in operation which increases water reuse and reduces the water consumption by approximately 10% a year.
• At Site Suzhou, we have made an investment in a reversed osmosis system during 2022, but there is also a ceramic ultrafiltration membrane and an evaporator to purify wastewater in order to reduce emissions of metals in outgoing water.
Sustainable Development Goal 12:
Responsible consumption and production
We are aware that parts of our production can be hazardous for the environment and the people who work here. Therefore, we have set strict goals for our use of harmful chemicals, our waste disposal and the recycling done on sites.
While our products are of the same quality on all our sites, the processes on each site are at different points in their respective journey towards becoming fully non-hazardous. The following are examples of what actions have been taken on our sites in the past years to achieve the targets presented above:
• At Site Garphyttan, 100% of the lead-waste is now recycled.
• At Site Garphyttan, an investment was made into state-of-the-art oil mist separation units for rolling mills that have the possibility to recycle approximately 7,200 liters of oil per year.
• At Site San José Iturbide, 100% of the shaving oil was reused during the year.
• At Site San José Iturbide, a process to reduce the consumption of lubrication oil by approximately 70% is under development.
• At Site San José Iturbide, a process to allow for using only 80% of today’s drawing lubricant is developing.
• At Site Suzhou and Site San José Iturbide, the use of drawing soap has been made more efficient.
• At Site Suzhou, there is an increase of unshaved wire.
• At Site Suzhou, lead consumption has been reduced by approximately 28% in 2022 compared with 2021.
• At Site Leeds, there is a scrap reduction team who continuously try to minimize the amount of scrap in the process.
Sustainable Development Goal 13:
Climate action
At Suzuki Garphyttan, climate action means that we are cognizant of our carbon footprint and are working tirelessly to minimize it. At the end of 2022, our calculations showed that our carbon footprint had been reduced by over 30% compared with 2020. That means that we now are below 900 kg CO2e/ton wire produced and on our way to our goal in 2030 that is 650 kg CO2/ton wire produced.*
The single most important factor in reducing our carbon footprint has been increasing our use of fossil free energy. We have switched to fossil free electricity at several facilities and installed solar cells at Site Suzhou. These efforts will continue in the years to come. Another contributing factor is that we are gradually transitioning to production methods that use raw materials more efficiently.
The sites work locally with their processes so that our global footprint would be diminished. The following are examples of what actions have been taken on our sites in the past years to achieve the targets presented above:
• At Site Leeds, South Bend and Garphyttan, 100% of the electricity power is fossil free.
• At Site Garphyttan, there has been an investment in geothermal heat pump which reduces oil consumption by about 20 m3, which corresponds to approximately 53 tons reduction of CO2 emissions/year.
• At Site San José Iturbide, there is an ongoing reforestation initiative of 20 trees in green areas around the facility.
• At Site Suzhou, solar panels have been put into operation in 2022. The total power generation will account for approximately 5% of the total power consumption of the plant. According to the local grid emission factor of 581 kg CO2/MWh, the action will reduce the CO2 emissions by approximately 629 tons in 2022.
Sustainable Development Goal 3 & 8:
Good Health and Wellbeing & Decent Work and Economic Growth
At Suzuki Garphyttan, our continued success and development is built on our employees. Ensuring a safe, health-promoting work environment is a strategic priority. Although we are far from an accident-free workplace, we're making clear progress with a reduction in accidents and an increase in reported risks.
The journey towards a safer workplace begins with identifying and mitigating risks. We encourage employees to report any perceived risks, and the number of these reports doubled from 2021 to 2022, providing valuable information to guide our safety efforts.
Our occupational health and safety policy is based on a comprehensive view of the factors affecting our employees. This policy informs our continuous improvement efforts and our commitment to enhance health and safety at work for the mutual benefit of our employees and our company.
Suzuki Garphyttan fosters a strong partnership between our chief safety officer and local safety representatives to maintain a safe work environment. We emphasize positive behaviors, attitudes, and compliance with safety regulations.
Our managers, under their areas of responsibility, actively work to ensure safety and resolve issues as they arise. The CEO holds ultimate responsibility for health and safety and ensures a conducive environment for effective safety practices.
We continuously monitor and follow up on accidents and incidents, conduct risk assessments across all our sites, and ensure readiness through ongoing education and training.