Operating Sustainably
Scope 1 & 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions reduced by 20% in absolute value since 2019
Global Energy consumption reduced by 17% since 2019
Zhangjiagang, China - Air Compressor modification At the Zhangjiagang, China facility, a variable-frequency compressor with a digital time management system and energy recovery system is used to recover energy to heat the water for employees. By implementing this new system, the team reduced CO2e emissions by 280 tons and saved $48,000.
2024 Environmental Targets
3% Reduction in Scope 1 & 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions intensity - 2023 baseline
5% Reduction in Waste to Landfill intensity - 2023 baseline
At Manitowoc, we work to build the physical communities and infrastructures for current and future generations. Energy conservation is a key behavior and mindset that is now a cornerstone of The Manitowoc Way.
Thanks to 100+ Lessons Learned targeting energy efficiencies and emissions reduction since 2022, our operational teams have been able to develop significant energy reductions over the past years. Even though we increased our geographical footprint and revenue, we were able to reduce our energy consumption and CO2 emissions in absolute terms; reducing our Natural Gas and Electricity consumption by approximately 26,000MWh from 2022 to 2023.
In 2023, we installed solar panels in our facilities in Niella Tanaro, Italy and Baltar, Portugal. These new installations have not only reduced the Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions by more than 350 Tons CO2e annually, but also produce 25% of the electricity consumption of each facility.
In 2019, we set a target to reduce business and operational waste going to landfill. In four years, we have reduced waste to landfill by 68%. These achievements were made possible by carefully following the principles of the waste hierarchy.
Steel is the primary commodity used in our manufacturing processes and more than 80% of our scrap steel is recycled. All cardboard and wood waste is recycled. Additionally, we have set up recycling programs for employees, including a battery deposit program for recycling.
Major actions have included:
Dedication to sorting waste by type for recycle or reuse,
Collaboration with our suppliers to reduce packaging and incoming waste with changes in delivery schedules and returnable packaging,
Working closely with waste management companies to find new ways of handling waste we generate.
Examples of these are:
Implementation of a specific waste sorting area at our facility in Niella Tanaro, Italy, and
Dedicated plastic waste recycling bins at our logistics facility in Saint Pierre de Chandieu, France.
These initiatives resulted in a 27% reduction of mixed waste, which is very difficult to recycle, since 2019.
Waste to Landfill reduced by 68% compared to 2019
Like any natural resource, proper water utilization is key to ensure that we preserve resources for future generations. As with energy preservation, water management enables our operations to use only the needed quantities and reduce misuse of this precious resource.
We are proud to say that, while we expanded our geographical footprint over the past two years, we kept our water consumption at the same level as 2019.
Once again, monitoring and digitalization were instrumental in achieving the least consumption possible. When our Charlieu, France facility accessed the water supplier’s daily monitoring software, it allowed them to identify leakages in the water circuit. After addressing these leakages, the facility reduced water consumption by 40%.
Painting is one of the final phases to complete a crane. Not only does this make the crane look good, it is key for guaranteeing an optimal life as it protects the metal.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are volatile chemical particles directly produced by the combustion and processing of paints. These emissions may have short and long-term adverse health effects and global warming potential; therefore, it is the responsibility of every industry to be aware of them and limit their emission. Thanks to technical innovation, we are increasingly more efficient at controlling and reducing VOCs in our manufacturing processes by:
Being as lean as possible in the use of mixing solvents in our products
Working with our paint suppliers to provide products with the same lifetime effective guarantee but lower VOCs
Installing VOC absorption or removal systems in partnership with our paint booth suppliers
After extensive testing to ensure our quality standards, our Zhangjiagang, China painting team reduced the volume of solvent used for adjusting the paint viscosity and reduced VOC emissions by approximately 17 tons.
The facility in Baltar, Portugal, purchased solvent recycling equipment. This investment allowed the team to:
Reduce hazardous waste by recycling the solvent
Create circularity on this type of product: 70% less solvent purchased, which drives an overall reduction of VOC emissions
*Prior period amounts restated based on updated data and/or emissions factor updates.
