Danish companies are making important advances in environmental sustainability according to a new report from the University of Southern Denmark and Odense Robotics. The report has eight recommendations on how companies can start implementing environmental sustainability in its operations and products.
“Robots are an integral part of manufacturing and that’s why environmental sustainability of robots is an important parameter in securing environmental sustainability in the entire manufacturing industry. Danish robotic companies have come a long way in recent years, but there’s still strong potential for producing more environmentally-friendly robots that benefit robotic companies and the manufacturing sector overall,” says Kristina Vaarst, author of the report and Associate Professor at the Department of Business and Management at the University of Southern Denmark.
The new report ‘Grønne effektkæder i robotindustrien’ charts how Danish robotic companies are performing in relation to Scope 1, 2 and 3 in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, which maps energy consumption, material consumption and indirect emissions. The report is based on interviews with robot producers, robot integrators, customers and organisations in Denmark.
Take a look at your value chain
The report concludes that robotic companies are doing what they can in relation to Scope 1 and that many are also working to reduce their Scope 2 by switching from traditional to renewable energy sources. However, Danish robotic companies seldom address Scope 3 in terms of their supply chain of suppliers and subcontractors, says Andersen, and this is a huge opportunity.
“Robotic manufacturers have the potential to act ’green’ at Scope 3 by, for example, addressing their own value chain and trying to source older de-commissioned robots for re-use. A few robot companies currently source sustainable materials, but the vast majority haven’t started optimising environmental sustainability in procurement or working with a circular approach. So there is great potential to make advancements in this area,” says Andersen.
Another key take away is that robotic companies need to know their ‘green’ numbers, as their primary contribution to environmental sustainability lies in improving their customers’ environmental sustainability. Robotic companies that can present data on their products’ environmental footprint and impact have an easier time selling the direct and indirect effects as well as costs.
8 recommendations to get started
Here are the report’s recommendations for robotic, automation and drone companies on how to get started with environmental sustainability.
1) Define your priorities
Make a list of your company’s most important green efforts, and as you reach your goals replace the achieved goals with new ones.
2) Divide and conquer
Environmental sustainability is a big topic with many facets. Focus on the single most impactful actions, where the effect is biggest or can change the mindset of the organisation.
3) Strategy and operational goals
Long-term strategic goals have to go hand-in-hand with quantifiable operational goals that can be achieved realistically within a shorter time frame.
4) Chicken and the egg
It is important that processes and guidelines are designed so they capture the many complex aspects of environmental sustainability. Thinking about a structure for reporting comes after designing the guidelines.
5) Integrate it in the entire company
Environmental sustainability should be integrated in the entire internal value chain as well as the external supply chain, so that environmental considerations become a natural part of all workflows and decisions.
6) Centralisation and decentralisation
Delegate responsibility for each topic to the relevant departments. A small central unit is good at securing momentum, coordination and integration across the company, but can struggle to at an operational level.
7) Allocate resources
Investments in environmental sustainability often have a different investment profile. All direct and indirect effects in the short- and long-term should therefore be accounted for.
8)A business opportunity more than a cost
Don’t see environmental sustainability as cost or cost-neutral exercise, but instead a business opportunity.