Net Zero Commitments, Low Carbon Goals, Sustainability Pledges, ESG, CSR….

Whatever your business calls it, now is the time to act on reducing carbon emissions

Last year, the UK is hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. The COP26 summit will brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
There has never been a bigger focus on reducing emissions, with businesses, financial institutions, cities, and countries setting targets to reduce emissions to net zero before the middle of this century.

Almost daily, we’re seeing big organisations make net zero pledges and low carbon commitments, as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policies and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, as more and more people realise that we must all act now to safeguard a liveable climate for future generations. We all have a part to play in this and should be making our own promises to do what we can, and to only support business who act on these pledges.

While net zero is a vital long-term goal, steep emissions cuts – especially by the largest greenhouse-gas emitters – are crucial in the next 5 to 10 years in order to keep global warming to no more than 1.5 °C.

How can I reduce my carbon footprint?

For organisations looking to meet carbon emission goals, every element of the business process should be considered, and a good place to start is with precision cleaning. A very simple switch can have a major impact, especially for those who haven’t recently checked what products they use.

Cleaning solvents were historically guilty of very high global warming potential (GWP) and had seriously detrimental effects on the atmosphere. However, there is a new generation of solvents which have been developed specifically with the environment in mind and are far less harmful than comparable solutions.

GWP is one of the methods for measuring the impact a chemical can have on the atmosphere (you can read more about it here). For companies manufacturing gases, chemicals and even components, and for those purchasing and using them, it is critical to manage environmental impact by keeping the GWP as low as possible.

As a business, Fraser Technologies is committed to reducing carbon emissions, and work hard to ensure we only offer the most sustainable products on the market. For example, Opteon™ SF80 from Chemours has an ultralow GWP of less than 2.5, compared to common F-gas solvents that can have a GWP of up to 11,000. The impact that this simple switch can have is incredible – especially as it is just as effective, and in some cases more efficient, than competitor products. So, not only does it help meet lower carbon goals, but it can also improve the cleaning process and save money.

How much carbon can I save by switching solvents?

We work with many businesses who are looking to reduce their carbon emissions, and our speciality fluids can help them meet their goals. To give an example, we recently worked with an aerospace manufacturer to find an alternative to the high-GWP solvent they were using. We switched their solvent to SF80 and assisted in optimising their processes to reduce solvent consumption. This change reduced their overall usage of solvent by 28%, saved them around £30,000 per year, and significantly reduced their carbon emissions.

With a GWP of 990, the CO2 emissions created by the customer were previously equal to the emissions of driving 143 times around the world (or 7.5 times to the moon and back!). With the switch to SF80, the customer’s new emissions are the equivalent of driving from Edinburgh to Moscow.

The statistics on global warming are stark. 18 of the 19 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001; Earth’s ice sheets are melting by 413 Gigatonnes of mass per year; and the sea levels are increasing by 3.3mm per year. More alarming is that current targets fall short on solving the climate crisis, so we need to do more.

This issue can be almost exclusively attributed to harmful gases in the atmosphere, and we can fix much of this by making small changes in all that we do. When it comes to cleaning processes, the solution is already available, with more environmentally friendly solvents that yield the same results, making this change could be one of easiest ways to meet your company’s carbon goals, while playing your part in protecting our Earth.

For more information about the products we offer and how we can reduce your carbon footprint and help your business meet net zero goals, get in touch at sales@frasertech.co.uk or call 01506 443 058