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PPE


of this mission. With CO2 emissions rocketing and global warming soaring, the climate crisis is


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escalating rapidly. It is only possible to protect people, therefore, by working to preserve and protect the environment. In little more than a decade, uvex has


implemented a considerable number of measures to improve its green credentials and


reduced its CO2 footprint by 70 per cent (in scope 1 and 2). High quality standards for products are combined with the development of recycling concepts and the use of bio-based materials. The durability and long service life of uvex products help to reduce waste and conserve resources. “I believe that sustainability is the future of any


type of business,” says Verena Keller, sustainability development lead at uvex safety. “Our mission is built around the ‘three pillars’ of sustainable development: environmental, social, and economic. Just as we need to maintain successful turnover and sales, we need to achieve success with respect to ecological and social aspects and that will only work in combination and is never the one or the other.”


Product innovation


uvex has launched a comprehensive range of PPE products featuring a “protecting planet” label, which offers maximum transparency and information about the company’s sustainability activities. The range demonstrates uvex’s commitment to reducing


CO2 emissions, waste, materials, water consumption and energy, without compromising quality or wearability. For example, uvex is the first company to


have successfully integrated granulate made of polyurethane surplus from its own production processes into the direct injected midsole of its safety shoes with no impact on the footwear’s performance. Thanks to this innovation, uvex can now reuse and recycle some of its PU surplus, which has already been reduced in quantity. The uvex 1 G2 planet was introduced to the


German market last year with a recycled content of 25 percent, and it has since become even more sustainable with an increased recycled content of 30 percent thanks to the recycled material in the midsole**. This development has also been extended to the entire uvex 1 G2 range of products. The goal is for every footwear model in the uvex range to have at least one recycled or bio-based component in it by the end of 2023. As well as footwear, uvex also manufactures


a range of helmets, gloves, earplugs and protective eyewear using at least one sustainable, recycled and/or bio-based material component and packaged in recycled


ince 1926, uvex has been dedicated to protecting people. The company creates personal protective equipment from head to toe that precisely delivers the protection workers need.


Protecting the planet is the natural continuation


How uvEx is sEtting nEw bEncHmarks in sustainability


From its “protecting planet” range to detailed carbon calculations, uvex is setting new standards in sustainable PPE


materials. In addition, nearly 100 per cent of the power used to manufacture the uvex xact- fit planet earplugs comes from renewable energy sources.


SuStainability from the ground uP


uvex is working hard to increase energy efficiency in its manufacturing facilities and has set clear goals and defined measures to become carbon-neutral by 2045. uvex's top priority is the avoidance of greenhouse gases. If it is not possible to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, they must be reduced to the absolute minimum so that only those emissions that are unavoidable are offset via certified climate protection projects. uvex safety has been using green electricity


since 2014 with over 90 per cent of the energy consumed coming from green energy sources –


generating annual CO2 savings. It utilises solar panels at its factories, which are all based in Europe, and measures and monitors its consumption of water at production facilities to identify opportunities to reduce usage. Other initiatives include insulating its buildings with recycled materials, solvent free manufacturing at its glove's facility meaning there is no impact on human health or the environment. uvex has also installed motion detector lighting systems, refrigeration and air conditioning concepts to


minimise CO2. Significant investment has also gone into developing machines that support sustainable production while ensuring there is no compromise on product performance and quality. uvex has also built a new logistics centre,


which has been awarded gold pre-certification by the German Sustainable Building Council (German abbreviation DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen) which


10 wintEr 2023 | industrial comPliancE


measures the sustainable, environmental, economic and sociocultural factors of a building." All these sustainable practices are possible


because the company is 100 per cent owned by the uvex safety group and it manufactures over 61 per cent of all products in its own facilities.


calculating carbon SavingS


Building on the “protecting planet” range, the company can also now provide data on the amount of greenhouse gases its products generate. With the CSRD and EU Taxonomy Regulation coming into force, the carbon footprint of every product used in a company becomes an important part of its overall carbon footprint. As there are multiple greenhouse gases that


contribute to global warming, CO2 equivalent (CO2 –eq) provides a standardised assessment of their effects


Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most well-known greenhouse gas and serves as the reference


value with a CO2 equivalent of 1. Other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) have a much stronger warming effect on the Earth's atmosphere than


CO2, thus they have higher CO2 equivalents. The CO2 equivalent of a greenhouse gas indicates how much that gas contributes to


global warming compared to CO2. The CO2 -eq values allow for comparisons


between standard uvex products and those with sustainable features, such as proportions of recycled or bio-based materials. The


amount of CO2 saved per product can easily be extrapolated to the number of employees in a company. This can quickly lead to significant savings in relation to the service life, thus immediately reducing the company's CO2 footprint.


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