ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY/NET ZERO
PARTNERSHIP PROMOTES ESG STRATEGY
In this article, Elvin Ozensoy, Group Head of Sustainability at Rubix, discusses how partnering with the right industrial distributor can actively support a manufacturer’s ESG strategy
y its very nature, manufacturing is a resource-intensive sector, using large amounts of energy and materials as inputs. All players in the sector are under increasing pressure to implement robust ESG strategies; whether this pressure comes from your customer base or from new government and industry regulations, the message is clear: more needs to be done.
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While many corporations are at different stages of their ESG journeys, it is fair to say that most businesses are already addressing their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. However, as they move to address Scope 3 – emissions from the supply chain – there’s an opportunity to assess suppliers’ wider contribution to the company’s ESG goals.
Looking at greenhouse gas emissions and beyond, it’s important to find out what your suppliers are doing to help you meet your own objectives.
At Rubix, we believe distributors can play a crucial role in supporting their customers' ESG goals by ensuring supply chain transparency, leveraging digital tracking tools and nurturing partnerships aligning with environmental and social responsibility objectives. By embracing sustainable sourcing practices and building partnerships that align with their customers' ESG goals, distributors can help businesses minimise their environmental impact, maintain ethical standards and comply with evolving regulatory requirements. Reducing waste is a key strand of ESG and your personal protective equipment (PPE) suppliers should be helping you here. While correct PPE use is essential to protect worker health and safety, it also helps businesses eliminate unnecessary waste. Installing PPE vending machines in manufacturing sites is a great opportunity for wins on both fronts. These machines give employees quick and easy access to the right PPE while helping to reduce overuse as well as encouraging them
32 MARCH 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL
to take advantage of the full working life of a piece of PPE. In fact, data from Rubix’s customers shows a reduction of up to 60 per cent in PPE consumption following the implementation of such machines. Beyond PPE, packaging is a big contributor to waste. To combat this, your suppliers should take several steps, including investing in automated packaging machines - something we have recently deployed at one of our largest distribution centres. These machines cut cardboard boxes to fit, ensuring that your goods are packaged in a box using the minimum amount of cardboard. This also often means the boxes are smaller, enabling more packages to fit onto a delivery van, reducing each box’s carbon footprint from transport and improving overall logistics efficiency. Modern packaging should also be recyclable, so it’s vital to look for suppliers who are eliminating the use of virgin plastic, expanding their use of FSC-certified packaging and increasing the percentage of recycled material used in their packaging. For instance, in the UK, Rubix has implemented an initiative to phase out plastic such as bubble wrap, padded envelopes, plastic tape and void airbags. We are replacing them with recycled packaging materials.
If you are to report on ESG accurately, you need access to data from suppliers, which relies on supply chain transparency. Look for suppliers who go above and beyond to make purchasing more sustainable products and services easier for you. For example, Rubix has created its own sustainability mark to help customers identify solutions with a positive ESG impact.
Also, look for suppliers who are
independently verified by trusted third parties. EcoVadis, a leading provider of business sustainability ratings, is a case in point. Rubix has an EcoVadis score of 78 - equivalent to a gold medal - placing us in the top three percent of companies rated globally. We also voluntarily disclose our climate approach to the non-profit organisation CDP, a globally recognised leader in environmental reporting, which gave us a B rating in 2023. One of the ways EcoVadis has recognised us for continuing to create a positive impact is by delivering energy-saving and process- improvement initiatives.
Research from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2023 World Energy Outlook report found that motor-driven systems account for about 65 percent of industrial energy consumption. It stands to reason that supply chain partners who can help you optimise the performance of these energy- intensive assets are worth their weight in gold. For example, studies have shown that up to 14 percent of manufacturing’s energy consumption is wasted due to air leaks in compressed air systems. Therefore, bringing in experts to audit and address those leaks can help customers optimise efficiency, save costs and reduce carbon emissions. Similarly, compressors and other vital equipment, such as motors, gearboxes and pump fans, can become inefficient due to component fatigue or failure. Non-intrusive inspections such as vibration analysis and thermographic surveys can provide early warnings on these issues. Vibration analysis enables early detection of wear and tear in rotating machinery and can even predict the time of failure, ensuring that you can schedule
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