Global ink manufacturer Marabu - whose products are distributed in Australia by Kissel + Wolf - says it’s become one of the first ink manufacturers to achieve climate neutrality.
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| Marabu headquarters in Tamm, Germany |
"We are safeguarding the future of the next generations and are proud that we have managed to be a climate neutral company from July 2021 with the Tamm and Bietigheim sites,” said York Boeder, CEO of the Germany-based manufacturer. “All our products, whether printing inks or creative colours, are climate neutral, too. Our so-called PROJECT GREEN combines all measures that are taking us on our journey to climate neutrality.
“Climate protection is a particular concern for us, to which we have made a binding commitment within the scope of an extensive sustainability strategy,” Boeder said. “In accordance with our Marabu Green Deal, we avoid and reduce emissions wherever possible, e. g. by using green electricity, energy-saving schemes, mobility concepts or environmentally friendly materials.
“We offset all unavoidable CO2 emissions by supporting internationally certified climate protection projects. We are continually implementing measures to improve our carbon footprint and update them annually to make their success measurable. We have therefore set ourselves the active goal of reducing our CO2 emissions by another 25 % by 2030.”
Marabu analysed all CO2 emissions from its sites in Tamm and Bietigheim to determine its carbon footprint, the company said. “Including all product-related factors such as raw materials and logistics, Marabu currently generates approx. 18,500 tons of unavoidable CO2 emissions. This value is the positive result of a number of climate-friendly measures pursued by Marabu, such as the early switch to green electricity in 2007.”
Marabu’s main activities to avoid and reduce CO2 emissions
Energy – by switching to green electricity from hydropower, we eliminate almost 2,000 tons of CO2 every year, the equivalent of the annual CO2 footprint of 175 German citizens. By landscaping roofs, we barely need any air-conditioning. We are also constantly investing in renewable projects for saving energy in other areas, such as the switch to modern lighting systems.
Mobility – electromobility is the future. In view of this, we are continuously investing in the migration of our company vehicles to electric and hybrid cars as well as in e-charging stations. We support home office and ‘cycle to work’ initiatives. We are replacing laborious business trips with productive online conferences. Where on-site visits are unavoidable, we always minimize the number of travellers. Green modes of transport like train and public transport enable us to largely eliminate domestic and international flights.
Production – in our production facilities, we use renewable energies and resource-efficient production processes. We use water treatment and solvent recovery as well as open-air cooling and low power cooling systems to avoid environmentally damaging coolants. Our packaging protects the products, presents the contents and is impressively durable. Whether glass, aluminium, cardboard or plastic, the use is carefully weighed up according to the principle: as little material as necessary, as much recycling as possible. That’s why we prefer monomaterials and materials with a high recycled content.
Raw materials – in our in-house laboratories, experts conduct daily research to replace critical substances with environmentally friendly alternatives for new and existing products. We also extend this environmental commitment from Marabu to our upstream supply chains.
Transporting – green transportation is already part of our climate strategy. Climate-neutral freight carriers and lower-emission transport methods like shipping or road transport replace air freight wherever possible. And at all Marabu sites, consistent waste management is practiced as a matter of course.
Product technology – we have been developing modern, low-emission products for decades. Tests in independent laboratories and test centres confirm our commitment to responsible products. The proportion of water-based systems for our creative colours is already over 90% plus we are working hard to develop new formulations based on renewable raw materials. In the printing inks division, we expect to be able to increase the proportion of water-based systems by more than 300% over the next 5 years. In addition, the well-established UV-curable ink systems and, in particular, the LED-curable systems help us increasingly to avoid ceramic paints and solvent-containing systems, thereby further reducing VOC emissions generated by the printing process.
https://www.kissel-wolf.com.au
