Climate awareness is quickly growing all across the world. Environmental regulatory frameworks are being implemented, and social tendencies toward climate-friendly consumption are emerging. Companies have the opportunity to play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions while also profiting from new business fields as the transition to a carbon-neutral economy accelerates. Industrial activities account for 34% of all energy-related carbon emissions, which are the primary cause of climate change. Within them, seven sectors account for more than 85% of the industry’s global carbon emissions: iron and steel, chemical and petrochemical, non-metallic minerals, non-ferrous metals, equipment, food and tobacco, and paper pulp and printing.
To achieve sustainable development goals and implement the same in industries all over the world a more futuristic approach should be taken into consideration. The matrix of the current environment should be taken into consideration while taking predictive measures. These goals can be taken even in miniature steps rather than talking about the adaptation of typically huge changes.
While these techniques hold great importance it is important to start from the basics through which these steps can be adopted by the industry :
1 Adopting Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with a TRUE Spirit:
The very first and one of the most simple steps is to “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, terms we might have been studying since childhood. But these simple measures can be used differently in different industries. Industries under this approach can implement a closed-loop manufacturing process, which indicates that the materials used in production can and will be recycled and are made to avoid the eco-unfriendly landfill designation.
Certain industries, both large and small, have realized the value of incorporating closed-loop technology into their manufacturing processes. Closed-Loop Partners invests in companies that employ closed-loop production and sustainability, like advanced recycling technologies, for instance. It can be anticipated that the sustainable businesses they invest in will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36 million metric tons of CO2 by the year 2030.
2 Switch to biofuel/ alternative energy sources:
The next step can be to increase the energy efficiency of vehicles, vessels, rail rolling stock and aircraft, and accelerate the transition to transportation powered by renewable energy with the development of biofuels. The next-generation biofuels are mainly stemmed from lignocelluloses, non-food materials, algal biomass, and energy crops grown on marginal lands. Biofuels are sustainable and have the potential to address the issues of climate change and energy security. At the moment India is using a huge amount of energy for sustaining its growth, most of which comes from fossil fuels. The first generation of biofuels (ethanol, biodiesel) is derived from energy-containing molecules such as sugar, starch, vegetable oil, and animal fats. Although fuel produced from these sources can have an adverse impact on food security, the yield of biofuel from these sources is getting better with time YoY with research and resources.
3 Collaboration within the Industry:
As leading governments and companies are taking action to create the net-zero carbon of the future and striving to limit global warming to no more than 1.5C they are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of unprecedented collaboration. The collaboration to tackle climate change becomes more effective when paired with strong ambition from both the private and public sectors. Hundreds of large corporations are taking bold steps to transform their industries by reducing emissions and climate impact throughout their operations and supply chains. National governments are welcoming this ambition as they try to fulfill their commitment to the Paris Agreement. The shift toward collaboration does not mean sacrificing profits or competitiveness in the global marketplace. On the contrary, helping to solve a systemic problem like climate change is an opportunity for companies to unleash innovation, develop new markets, and protect supply chains. More than a thousand companies are committed to taking bold climate actions especially after seeing the adverse effects of Covid and its impact on human beings. Collaborations of this kind represent $20.1 Tn market capitalism, nearly one-quarter of the global GDP in the contemporary scenario. There are several companies like Johnson controls, Ferrovial, Ingersoll-Rand that have joined hands in the collaboration along with seven of the world’s ten largest consumer goods companies. We Mean Business, a global non-profit coalition initiative has brought the voices of over 200 companies to engage policymakers in the US, EU, Japan, and beyond, advocating for increased policy ambition and enabling environments. Industries can fulfill their vital role in helping to solve the urgent problem of climate change by embracing collaboration. Central to this is reaching out to other businesses, talking to customers, and engaging with policymakers to find shared and innovative solutions that will enable the zero-carbon economy of the future.
4 Adopting Hydrogen and Carbon capture:
Hydrogen and Carbon Capture, utilization, and storage have the highest emission reduction potential in the long run. By generating hydrogen with zero-carbon electricity and supplying hydrogen infrastructures, industries can gain competitive advantages and scale effects. As of 2020, at least 26 commercial-scale carbon capture projects are operating around the world with 21 more in early development and 13 in advanced development reaching front-end engineering design (FEED). Industrial processes where large-scale carbon capture has been demonstrated and is in commercial operation include coal gasification, ethanol production, fertilizer production, natural gas processing, refinery hydrogen production, and, most recently, coal-fired power generation. An example of the Carbon Capture initiative is ADM Illinois Industrial Carbon Capture & Storage Project. Archer Daniels Midland began extracting carbon dioxide from an ethanol production facility and capturing it in a nearby deep saline formation. The project can capture up to 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. With increasing green energy providers and different ways to create alternative Green Products making the switch to renewable energy usage is becoming simpler.
5 Carbon Offset:
A carbon offset is another technique that helps in the reduction of GHG emissions. It increases the carbon storage through land restoration or planting of trees that are used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere. As an inspiration, since 2007, Google has partnered with more than 40 carbon offset projects to offset more than 20 million CO2 emissions. Google signed up for the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, which helps companies align their strategies with the Paris goals and achieve net-zero emissions. Google aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 50 % this year. Its net-zero initiative involves eliminating Scope 3 emissions, which are emissions generated by a company’s supply chain, including embodied carbon emissions caused by the construction of new buildings as well as emissions caused by customers using a company’s products. These are the hardest emissions to eliminate. This means that it must have emitted an equivalent amount – 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – over the same period.
Eliminating excessive carbon emissions from the environment helps in significantly reducing increased climate change, respiratory diseases, food supply disruptions, etc. The true reality of climate emergency bears down on more and more people every year. Environmentalists, activists, and scientists have been trying to make industries aware of these unprecedented wildfires, floods, and drastic climate changes everywhere in the world.
A student awakening the world
One such activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change is Swedish Environmental activist and student, Greta Thunberg. Being a young adult she has a very strong voice which has reached even the most remote areas of the world. In a recent conference, she stated that the world needs to learn the lesson of Coronavirus and treat climate change caused due to the emission of harmful gases with similar urgency. To adequately address the climate crisis it has become urgent to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the consequences of global warming, which the world is already experiencing. Industries and other sectors need to dramatically reduce global carbon emissions To avoid the worst effects of climate change.
Metalogi is one of the leading Indian brands in logistic performance packaging. It is dedicated to creating a sustainable environment through its green packaging. To know how to get logistic performance packaging to your organization, visit www.metalogi.in or connect with us at info@metalogi.in
[Image Credits: Greta – BBC website]
