At Ego, our strategic vision is for our manufacturing to be carbon neutral by 2030. To help achieve this, we have embarked on a number of projects to reduce our energy and water usage, increase our use of renewable energy and minimise our waste going to landfill.
*These goals relate to Ego’s manufacturing, and are calculated per kilogram of product compared with 2019.
The majority of our energy consumption comes from water purification, air compression, operating production machinery, treating waste water, and services including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) which provides pharmaceutical-grade clean air in our clean rooms, and storage conditions such as cooling, and lighting.
Electricity
Through the installation of 253kW of solar array so far, the installation of LED lights and significant HVAC upgrades, we are well on the way to achieving our goal of 30% reduction in electricity from the grid by 2025. In total, our use of solar energy is expected to eliminate 231 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022.
Gas
Newer, more energy-efficient equipment has helped us achieve significant reductions in the amount of gas used per tonne of product made.
Water use has been reduced through a number of measures. Rain water is collected in 26 water tanks and is used in non-potable applications such as in toilets and gardens. In production, substantial water savings have been realised by introducing longer production runs which reduces cleaning between batches, steam condensate and waste water recovery, and increased factory efficiency.
Through a focused effort sorting, reusing and recycling what waste we can, we are reducing the amount of waste from manufacturing that goes to landfill. E-waste, polystyrene, cardboard, paper, soft plastic and glass is recycled, pallets and cardboard outers are returned to suppliers for re-use, and we are continuing to audit and look at ways that we can further reduce our waste.
Within our Products section, we outline how we are further reducing waste from a consumer perspective.
