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Solar Impulse Foundation: Schneider Electric supports identification of economically viable sustainability solutions

A Solar Impulse Foundation initiative supported by Schneider Electric has achieved an important goal: 1,000 innovative solutions for economically profitable environmental and climate protection have been identified and summarised in an overview. For decision-makers in business and politics, this is a further signal that clean technologies can also be financially viable.
Under the leadership of the well-known Swiss researcher and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse Foundation announced its goal of identifying 1,000 profitable environmental protection projects four years ago. Schneider Electric, as a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has supported the project since 2019 with a four-year commitment through the Schneider Electric Foundation.
"I thank the Solar Impluse Foundation for its commitment and would like to warmly congratulate Bertrand Piccard," says Jean-Pascal Tricoire, President and CEO of Schneider Electric. "Your multi-faceted, scientific achievement is very inspiring and we are very proud to support you in developing solutions that help address the challenges posed by climate change in a practical and actionable way."
Together with 14 other multinational companies, Jean-Pascal Tricoire has also signed the Solar Impulse Fundation Manifesto. In addition to adopting more ambitious environmental targets, this also advocates for the rapid implementation and deployment of large-scale solutions to combat climate change by companies and governments.
Schneider Electric has supported the Solar Impulse Foundation initiative in analysing potential candidates for the "Solar Impulse Efficient Solution" label. This label certifies that a product, service or process meets circular economy requirements and is capable of creating jobs. In addition, the solutions must help to reduce emissions in the areas of water, energy, construction, mobility, industry and agriculture. Over 30 Schneider experts were on hand to help assess and award the solutions submitted by companies from around the world.
Among the more than 1,000 solutions that received the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label are eight Schneider solutions: the Harmony wireless pushbutton, an energy-autonomous interface for connecting industrial base devices; the Altivar 312 Solar, Altivar 600 drives; the EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor; the NEO Network; the EV Link charge management system; the Homaya Pay As You Go Solar home solution; and the Villaya Microgrid solutions.

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Devan, leader in sustainable and functional textile finishes, has been working together with Jeanologia, a global leader in sustainable and efficient finishing technologies for textiles, to reduce further water consumption during the application of Devan’s awarded BI-OME® antimicrobial and R-Vital® skincare range.

Spanish fashion retailer Alvaro Moreno has partnered with converter Innovaciones Subbética and global packaging producer Mondi to switch from plastic to paper alternatives for their shopping, online delivery and gift bags

By combining their expertise and latest innovations, Siegwerk and Kotkamills will actively create new capabilities for fibre-based packaging printers and producers, promoting circularity

Lecta, with Adestor, its widely known brand of self-adhesive materials, is pleased to announce that it has joined CELAB (Circular Economy for Labels), a global industry initiative that is working to create a more sustainable pressure-sensitive labelling industry by increasing access to matrix and liner recycling.

Driving the circular economy, hubergroup Print Solutions now offers a complete Cradle to Cradle Material Health Gold certified portfolio for commercial and packaging offset printing. For this purpose, the international printing ink specialist formulated a new ink range which is based on the low-migration MGA NATURA series and, therefore, suitable especially for printing food packaging. Moreover, the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovations Institute certified a number of water-based coatings of the ACRYLAC series with Gold status. As hubergroup produces a large proportion of the raw materials in its own Chemicals Division, the company can ensure sustainable action along the value chain in addition to that.

Brand owners, take notice. INX International Ink Co. is now the first and only ink company in the metal decorating segment to receive a Gold level Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII), in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency. Intended for use on beverage cans, the AP EcoCan 2-piece metal ink system achieved this status after INX standard AP series inks had already earned bronze level certification.

At Mewar Polytex, W&H installed its first co-extrusion coating line in India, the ECOTEX 1600 LC. The machine perfectly fits their requirement of high-end and challenging export jobs offering superior coating/lamination coupled with outstanding flexibility in terms of a variety of applications. With co-extrusion, they can achieve better and varied recipe formation required for multiple applications.

Meech International, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of static control solutions for a range of sectors, including print, packaging, pharmaceutical, battery film and automotive is bringing its global workforce together to support charities local to each of Meech’s seven offices around the world.

Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a PLATINUM Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings issued by EcoVadis of France for its corporate responsibility practices. This is the highest level that can be achieved — only 1% of the participating companies were awarded this accolade. Konica Minolta has also been selected for the 2020 CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard in the Supplier Engagement Rating by CDP, an international non-profit organisation working to achieve a sustainable economy. These high accolades reflect Konica Minolta's continuous dedication to sustainability and social responsibility.

Critical Manufacturing has been named as a Leader by Gartner, Inc. in its 2021 Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). According to Gartner, “there has been a fundamental shift in the MES market, driven by evolving technologies that challenge the MES status quo and driven by vendors with the agility and talent to accelerate the adoption of those technologies.”

· Ford sieht im 3D-Druck das Potenzial, die Personalisierung von Fahrzeugteilen in Kleinserien zu revolutionieren sowie die nachhaltige Produktion voranzutreiben
· 3D-Druck-Abfälle wie Pulver und Teile werden zu Fahrzeugkomponenten weiterverarbeitet und kommen in den Super Duty F-250 Lastwagen von Ford zum Einsatz – so entsteht ein geschlossener Abfallkreislauf
· Die Implementierung erfolgte im Zeitraum von unter einem Jahr und umfasste den kompletten Prozess von der Idee bis zur Nutzung in Bauteilen

Ford treibt die Zukunft des 3D-Drucks in der Automotivebranche weiter voran: In Kooperation mit HP nutzt das Unternehmen 3D-Druckabfälle wie Pulver und Teile und verarbeitet sie zu spritzgegossenen Fahrzeugteilen weiter – dieser geschlossene Abfallkreislauf sowie der nachhaltige, umweltfreundliche Ansatz sind bisher in der Branche einzigartig. Die so entstehenden Spritzgusskomponenten sind deutlich verträglicher für die Umwelt und gehen bei Haltbarkeit und Qualität keine Kompromisse ein.

Die recycelten Materialien werden zur Produktion von spritzgegossenen Kraftstoffleitungsclips verwendet – diese kommen zuerst in den Super Duty F-250 Lastwagen von Ford zum Einsatz. Die Komponenten sind chemikalien- und feuchtigkeitsbeständiger als herkömmliche Versionen. Darüber hinaus sparen sie in der Herstellung sieben Prozent an Gewicht sowie zehn Prozent an Materialkosten. Die innovative Materialverwendung soll künftig auch in weiteren Modellen des US-Fahrzeugherstellers genutzt werden.

„Neue Wege zu finden, um mit nachhaltigen Materialien zu arbeiten, Abfall zu reduzieren und die Entwicklung der Kreislaufwirtschaft voranzutreiben, haben höchste Priorität bei Ford“, sagt Debbie Mielewski, Ford Technical Fellow, Sustainability. „Viele Unternehmen finden großartige Einsatzmöglichkeiten für 3D-Drucktechnologien, aber gemeinsam mit HP sind wir die ersten, die eine hochwertige Anwendung für Abfallpulver finden, das wahrscheinlich auf der Mülldeponie gelandet wäre, und es in funktionale und langlebige Autoteile verwandeln.“

HP 3D-Drucker sind bereits auf hohe Effizienz ausgelegt: Spezielle Systeme und Strukturen minimieren überschüssige Material und verwenden einen hohen Anteil der genutzten Materialien wieder. In Zusammenarbeit mit Ford, das die 3D-Drucktechnologie von HP im Advanced Manufacturing Center des Unternehmens einsetzt, entwickelte das Team diese Lösung, die keinen Abfall produziert.

„Der 3D-Druck ermöglicht nachhaltigere Fertigungsprozesse. Unser Ziel ist es, unsere Branche anzutreiben, um neue Wege zu finden, Pulver und Teile zu reduzieren, wiederzuverwenden und zu recyceln“, so Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, HP. „Unsere Kooperation mit Ford erweitert die ökologischen Vorteile des 3D-Drucks und zeigt, wie wir ganz unterschiedliche Branchen zusammenbringen, um Abfälle von Fertigungsmaterialien besser zu nutzen und eine neue Kreislaufwirtschaft zu ermöglichen.”

Für die eigene Produktion entwickelte Ford neue Anwendungen und setzt auf verschiedene Verfahren und Materialien für den 3D-Druck, darunter Filamente, Sand, Pulver und Flüssigkesselpolymerisation. Der Fahrzeughersteller setzt den 3D-Druck bereits für zahlreiche Nutzfahrzeugteile in Kleinserie sowie für Vorrichtungen ein. Diese werden von den Mitarbeitern am Fließband verwendet, um die Produktionszeit zu reduzieren und die Qualität zu verbessern. Ford hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, künftig ausschließlich nachhaltige Materialien in seinen Fahrzeugen einzusetzen.
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Innovia Films is launching a new film in its Encore range of Sustainable Polypropylene packaging films. REF30cn has a high level of certified renewable content (via ISCC PLUS mass balance) specifically achieving carbon neutral on a cradle to gate basis from the Innovia UK site. Technically the film performance matches that of the fossil-based equivalent so can be used in both high-speed horizontal flow-wrap and overwrap applications. The film is also fully food contact compliant.

The starting signal has been given for the competitions for the 14th German Sustainability Award. The largest award of its kind in Europe will again honour effective contributions to sustainable change in 2021. The prize is awarded in eight categories to companies, products and services that successfully take on ecological and social challenges and see sustainability as an economic opportunity.

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