GALESBURG, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Power management company Eaton today announced its Vehicle Group has certified 88% of its global facilities as zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWTL), having cut the amount of waste going into landfills by 55% since 2019. ZWTL is defined by Eaton as achieving a landfill waste diversion ratio of 98% through reuse or composting. However, only if the heat from incineration was used to create more energy than was generated during the incineration process.
Sunil Bhandari (Vice President, Global Operations, Eatons Vehicle Group) said that the team has worked together to upgrade our manufacturing facilities and leverage technology to increase energy efficiency, minimize environmental impact, and bring us closer towards a carbon-free future. Our commitment to sustainability is part our core mission to improve quality of life and the environment for all those who depend on us today and over the coming decades.
The Vehicle Group focuses on four areas to reduce waste: reuse, recycling, waste to energy, and waste to landfill.
Separating swarf and water is a way to keep it out of landfill.
Vehicle Groups swarf-grinding project is one of these key projects. It is currently being implemented at all global sites that do grinding operations.
Swarf is a byproduct of metal-cutting processes. Fluids such as oil, coolants, and water are mixed together with fine metal particles and filtration media. Swarf is one the most difficult waste streams that can be recycled, but the Vehicle Group has made significant strides in diverting it from landfills.
The Vehicle Group has partnered with vendors to deploy a mobile centrifuge that separates the materials. The fluid is then reused in manufacturing processes and the metal particles are reclaimed, which results in cost savings. In 2019, 500 tons of swarf was diverted from the landfill by a swarf recycling experiment. Work is ongoing to expand this solution in order to speed ZWTL progress.
The Vehicle Group is looking for reuse opportunities to remove sludge from the plating process. They are recycling the metal content which eliminates the need to dispose of it in a landfill. It is also developing a more efficient filtering method to remove sludge, and to reuse the water for further plating.
Also, significant progress has been made in segregating general trash. Trash is usually created from ignorance about recycling opportunities and the excessive use of non-recyclable materials. The Vehicle Group is committed to improving education about recycling options and procedures in order to prevent paper, metal, and recyclable plastics from ending up in the trash. In the same vein, the Vehicle Group ensures that all packaging it uses can be recycled and encourages its suppliers to do so.
To help them realize their full potential, Bhandari stated that we are training our teams on proper recycling methods and are seeking input on how they can identify opportunities and problems.
Water conservation efforts have a significant impact on global sites
The Vehicle Group has implemented several innovative initiatives to reduce water consumption at its global sites worldwide by 14%, since 2019. This puts them well on their way to achieving their 2030 zero water discharge goal.
The Vehicle Group has installed wastewater systems with ultrafiltration and reverse-osmosis technology at several of its facilities to reduce water consumption and pollutant emissions. These systems can reuse water for industrial uses. Some facilities also manage stormwater by increasing their property’s permeability, decreasing runoff rates to decrease erosion, and planting native florae without the need for watering. Vehicle Group global facilities are also equipped with automatic flow-sensor faucets that allow for the reuse of chiller water during daily operations.
Learn more about Eatons commitment towards sustainability in its most recent report Sustainability Report.
Learn moreLearn how Eaton helps its customers conserve resources, and reduce their carbon footprint.
Eaton is an intelligent power management firm that strives to improve the quality of life for all people and protect the environment. Our commitment to doing business right, to operating sustainably, and to helping our customers manage electricity today and into the future is what guides us. We are leveraging the global growth trends in electrification, digitalization, and other technologies to accelerate the planet’s transition to renewable energy. We also help solve the most pressing power management problems around the globe and do what is best for all our stakeholders.
Eaton was founded in 1911 and has been listed on NYSE for almost a century. We have more than 170 customers and reported revenue of $19.6billion in 2021. For more information, please visit www.eaton.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn.
