Environmental Management
Climate change | Electricity | Waste | Responsible sourcing | Partnerships
Environmental ManagementThe Ergonomic Solutions Group takes its environmental responsibilities seriously.
We recognize that our activities have an impact on the environment in terms of the use of raw materials, emissions into the air, water, and waste generation. The company seeks to minimize this as far as is reasonably practicable.
As part of our commitment to sustainability, we have achieved group-wide ISO 14001:2015 certification, which demonstrates our dedication to environmental management.
Ergonomic Solutions Manufacturing A/S proudly awarded EcoVardis Bronze Medal
As part of our commitment to society, our people, and the environment, Ergonomic Solutions Manufacturing A/S completed a thorough assessment of its business sustainability practices through EcoVadis, the global standard for business sustainability ratings.
The EcoVadis assessment includes 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.
We chose to align with EcoVadis because we aim to minimize our environmental impact as a direct result of supporting our customers needs via our joint end-to-end supply chain.
In our first evaluation, which was completed in April 2024, Ergonomic Solutions Manufacturing A/S earned a Bronze Medal, a recognition awarded to the top 35% of companies assessed by EcoVadis, which demonstrates our progress toward sustainability, and a commitment to promoting transparency throughout the value chain.
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We calculate our carbon footprint each year based on our energy consumption: fuel, electricity and gas for the period 1 January – 31 December.
Trends for Ergonomic Solutions Manufacturing: CO2 Emissions
In 2023, we achieved our goal of reducing emissions across all scopes 1, 2, and 3, evident when compared to the previous year's data.
Scope 1 (direct emissions) stems from gas usage in our paint shop, and saw a notable decrease with the introduction of Bio-Mix which was re-introduced in 2023, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions.
Scope 2 emissions are related to the use of electricity and district heating usage, which also decreased due to the contracts with our supply partners.
As for Scope 3 emissions, where we have a set target emission per product shipped, we observed a decrease in CO2 per product, largely attributed to the documented use of recycled steel.
Ergonomic Solutions’ Northern Region participates in a waste reduction scheme
Waste segregation:
Recycling of all card and paper
Recycling of other mixed recyclables
Recycling of disposable batteries
Recycling of used printer cartridges
Segregation at source helps us to achieve our target of reducing general waste. Our general waste is currently one-third of what was generated before segregation for recycling.
Awareness of plastic usage is an explicit cornerstone of our Environmental Policy and by the end of 2019, we discontinued the use of plastic cups in our factory in Denmark.
In 2019 the Ergonomic Solutions Group implemented double-sided printing as standard in all locations to prevent unnecessary paper usage, and we implemented a new automated paint shop, where we now are re-cycling 100% of paint powder and thereby eliminating any waste.
The Ergonomic Solutions Green Initiative
Recycling our incoming cardboard boxes as packaging material
In November 2021, we introduced a shredder machine that allows us to reuse incoming cardboard as packing material within our packing process.
This brings a number of important improvements to our incoming and outgoing packing processes, all of which have a positive impact on our local environment.
We will no longer have to purchase 5.5 tons of cardboard per year for use as packing material
By recycling our incoming boxes, we utilise what was previously waste cardboard
This a more environmentally friendly method of packing which has an improved impact on our carbon footprint
The shredding process has been comprehensively tested for dust ingress, and all were positive with no impact on our products.
Responsible sourcing
We will continue to ensure responsible sourcing in the selection of materials and reduce the impact of resources used to operate the buildings.
Partnerships
Our aim is to:
Create an incident-free and zero harm environment
Create a great place to work where all staff are valued, respected and motivated and are knowledgeable about environmental issues and impacts
Encourage local sourcing across the business
Create a positive impact on the communities where we work
We are proud to support EET Group A/S’ “Green Friday” initiative
Since 2021, Ergonomic Solutions / SpacePole Inc has contributed 38,000 trees to the EET forest. EET, a distribution partner of Ergonomic Solutions, partnered with Ecologi, a company focused on addressing climate crises.
To transform "Black Friday" into "Green Friday," EET invited select partners to support this initiative by contributing trees to their forest.
So far, our trees have supported projects in:
- Reforestation in Changalane and Mussuquelane in Mozambique
- Mangrove planting in Marotaola and Kadrany in Madagascar
- Forest restoration in Kenya
With species including:
- Adansonia digitata
- Rhizophora mucronata
- Dodonaea viscosa
- Acacia nilotica
- Bruguiera gymnoohiza
Ergonomic Solutions CEO and Group Managing Director says:
“Sustainability and the environment are at the forefront of our business. It’s exciting for us to be supporting our partner EET in this way”.
The reforestation projects support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, number 15 for Life on Land, which covers sustainable management of forests and combating desertification.
