Sustainability | HEXPOL Rubber Compounding

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Achieves ISCC PLUS Sustainability Certification

melissacohill — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:08:14 +0000

HEXPOL Middlefield has achieved The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) as a Rubber Compounding Processing Unit with mass balance chain of custody.

HEXPOL Middlefield ISCC Plus Certification Issued on 11.22.23

The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a certification program for the Circular Economy that focuses on the verification and traceability of sustainable materials. ISCC is globally recognized as the standard of choice for industry sustainability certifications.

This certification allows HEXPOL Middlefield to produce ISCC PLUS certified circular, bio circular and/or bio attributed compounds via mass balance accounting principles. This provides traceability of certified raw materials along the certified supply chain through sustainability declarations that create a chain of custody from origin to the end product.

Certification of supply chains is a vital part of an organization’s overall sustainability management. This ensures that the integrity and performance of the entire supply chain are aligned toward common sustainability goals and objectives from start to finish.

Companies and entities that obtain the certification must meet certain predetermined standards as required under the ISCC PLUS certification.

As the leader in the rubber compounding industry, HEXPOL Compounding Americas pursued the ISCC PLUS certification to make A Sustainable Difference in order to support its customer’s goals and initiatives while aligning with supply chain sustainability projects.

In addition, HEXPOL continues to work toward achieving strategic objectives to reduce environmental impact, to create safe and secure workplaces and to be a good corporate citizen.

HEXPOL’s cross-functional ISCC PLUS implementation team achieved this significant accomplishment in less than four months with zero nonconformities found during the certification audit.

Jason Yauger, Quality Manager – HEXPOL Middlefield
Cathy Rose, Quality Systems Manager – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Misty Mahan, Regional EH&S – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Ali Wolf, Sustainability Manager – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Jeremy Lawson, Managing Director – HEXPOL Middlefield
Tom Roberts, Director of Quality – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Jerry Saxion, Director of Business Systems – HEXPOL Compounding Americas

“We are proud of the Middlefield and HEXPOL Compounding Americas support team’s dedication to achieving the ISCC PLUS certification. The Global Sustainability and Carbon Certification is a significant milestone that reflects our organization’s dedication to sustainable solutions.”

Jeremy Lawson, Managing Director – HEXPOL Middlefield

“This achievement of ISCC PLUS certification is part of HEXPOL’s ongoing sustainability effort and collaboration with customers and suppliers, as we continue to be fully committed to support sustainability goals and developing innovative products that provide a lower environmental impact that contribute to the circular economy. We believe that the ISCC PLUS certification is not only a validation of our efforts but also a strong message to the industry that responsible and eco-conscious manufacturing is not only already possible, but also necessary for a successful future.”

Jerry Saxion, Director of Business Systems – HEXPOL Compounding Americas

Annual Report with Sustainability Report 2022

jillbradford — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:41:06 +0000

The HEXPOL Annual Report for 2022 with Sustainability Report is now available

I am proud of how well we continued to tackle global challenges in 2022. Our strong business model has once again been excellently executed by skilled and dedicated employees worldwide.

– Georg Brunstam, President and CEO

Download the Sustainability Report for in-depth insights

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Install Solar Arrays

jillbradford — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 13:34:27 +0000

Sustainability = Operational Savings

By Ali Wolf, Sustainability Manager, North America

HEXPOL Compounding Americas (HCA) continues to provide funds to fulfill its progressive management practices by investing in its people and facilities to ensure HCA is thoughtfully positioned to deliver a material difference to its customers today and in the future.

In 2022, HCA realized operational savings and reduced its enterprise carbon impact to 1,039 MtC02, which is equivalent to 224 cars on the road annually.

The carbon impact reduction was a result of installing solar arrays at HCA’s Long Beach, City of Industry, Aguascalientes and Queretaro sites which led to 2% of our total carbon footprint (a total of 1.3MW).

Investing in our people, planet, and business performance; Sustains our ability to serve our customers.

Aerial View of HEXPOL AGS with Solar Panels Installed on Roof.

HEXPOL LESINA CO2 neutral in scopes 1 & 2 emissions

nadjaelsayed — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:03:06 +0000

Preferred by Nature confirms HEXPOL Compounding Lesina s.r.o to be carbon neutral in Scopes 1 and 2 for the calculation year 2021.

Preferred by Nature is a non-profit organization working to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and the climate in more than 100 countries.

According to the leading Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol corporate standard, a company’s greenhouse gas emissions are classified into three scopes.

Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. In case of HEXPOL Lesina for example, stationary combustion like fuel use in production or mobile combustion like vehicles belonging to the company. The company is constantly looking into options to reduce scope 1 emissions further. However, unavoidable emissions (in case of Lesina 60 tons CO2e) are offset with the climate+ program of Gold Standard, where Lesina is supporting to provide clean water access to families in Laos with the carbon offset of 2021.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling. As HEXPOL Lesina is purchasing energy from renewable sources since 2018, there are no emissions to be reported in this category.

HEXPOL Compounding Lesina s.r.o now received a certificate which proves its carbon neutrality for scopes 1 and 2 emissions from Preferred by nature, an independent, third party.

Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions which occur in the value chain of the company like for example for all purchased goods and services, logistics, transport, business travels, waste generation etc.

Michael Jakubik, sales and marketing director of Lesina says: “We are proud of this achievement. Sustainability is anchored in HEXPOL’s core values and we are happy to provide a proof, that our efforts are paying off. Nevertheless, our journey does not stop here. We are working on several different measures to lower our scope 3 emissions. Developing products with a lower product carbon footprint or optimizing the resource-usage in our operations are just some examples from a whole list of activities “

About HEXPOL Compounding

HEXPOL Rubber Compounding produces a wide range of natural and synthetic rubber compounds to meet the exact requirements of its customers, across a broad range of industries. The largest end-customer segments are the automotive and engineering industries, followed by the building and construction sector. Other important customer segments are the transportation sector, the energy sector, the consumer sector and the cable and wire industry. HEXPOL Rubber Compounding is part of the HEXPOL Group, headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. The Group has approximately 5000 employees in fourteen countries.

HEXPOL Rubber Compounding – HEXPOL Silicone & Rubber Compounding

PEFC Certificate for HEXPOL Lesina’s Natural Rubber Compounds

nadjaelsayed — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:30:19 +0000

PEFC Certificate for HEXPOL Lesina's Natural Rubber Compounds

PEFC is a Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and the world’s largest forest certification organization.

HEXPOL Compounding Lesina S.R.O received a certificate which proved the conformity of the chain of custody requirements of PEFC ST 2001:2020 and 2002:2020 for natural rubber compounds.

Besides synthetic rubber, which is made from petrochemicals, HEXPOL uses natural rubber for several compound solutions.

Natural rubber is made from the latex sap of rubber trees, which derive from about 14 million hectares of plantations around the world, mainly run by smallholders in economically developing regions. Managing rubber plantations sustainably means fewer negative environmental and social impacts from the production of natural rubber and rubberwood.

PEFC certification is available to all companies that manufacture, process, trade or sell natural rubber and rubber wood products.

HEXPOL Compounding Lesina is now part of this supply chain and can provide PEFC-certified natural rubber compounds to all interested customers.

The current demand for natural rubber compounds, which are 100% based on PEFC-sourced natural rubber, is still small, but expected to grow in parallel with the industry’s increasing interest in more sustainable solutions.

Norbert Niemand, managing director of Lesina says: “Forests play a critical role for the global environment- especially in times of climate change. The certification of our plant shows our commitment towards a more sustainable value chain of natural rubber compounds and our intention to act responsibly.”

About HEXPOL Compounding

HEXPOL Rubber Compounding – HEXPOL Silicone & Rubber Compounding

Sustainability Report 2020

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 13:27:41 +0000

sustainability report 2020

HEXPOL’s commitment to sustainable development is long-term and during 2020 we managed to strengthen our positions in a number of areas. An updated version of the Code of Conduct (Materializing Our Values) was issued, and the Supplier Sustainability Guideline was updated and launched on a digital platform. We also deepened our work with the principles of the UN Global Compact regarding business ethics, human rights, labor law and the environment.

We further emphasized our commitment to combat climate change by a new challenging objective to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. We will continue with the focus on the energy-related emissions and aim for a 75 percent reduction by 2025.

Our road map includes energy-efficiency measures, phasing out of fossil fuels, further installation of photovoltaics, and purchase of fossil-free electricity everywhere where it is possible. In addition to that, a key part of achieving our ambitions in the climate area is about developing and offering low-carbon products. Read more about that, and many other things, in the Sustainability Report 2020.

Download the Sustainability Report

Latest Sustainability Report

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:05:39 +0000

sustainability report 2020

As one of the leading polymer compounding suppliers in the world, we are acutely aware of how we conduct our business. Every April we present our sustianbility Report for the previous year.

It starts with lifecycle impact analysis of the materials and production processes we employ. Our long-term approach is a systematic one which involves numerous stakeholders, certified management systems, sound business ethics and transparency. Our efforts are followed up by Group management, internal and external audits, and in-depth analysis to ensure compliance with the current legislation.

Our progress is clearly communicated through the Global Reporting Initiative, which forms the foundation of our Sustainability Report and extends to separate climate-impact reports in accordance with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and in-line with the United Nations Global Compact. It is also monitored closely by independent institutions and investors.

Download the Sustainability Report

Sustainability Report 2019

hexpoladmin — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 17:59:58 +0000

sustainability report 2019

As one of the leading polymer compounding suppliers in the world, we are acutely aware of how we conduct our business.

Download the Sustainability Report

Latest Sustainability Report

hexpoladmin — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 09:44:08 +0000

sustainability report 2018

As one of the leading polymer compounding suppliers in the world, we are acutely aware of how we conduct our business. Every April we present our sustianbility Report for the previous year.

Download the Sustainability Report

Environmental aspects of polymer compounds

hexpoladmin — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 09:11:38 +0000

The environmental impact of rubber compounds

Polymer compounds, such as rubber and plastics, are semi-finished products and can be seen as homogenous mixtures of different ingredients that have previously been designed in a specific formulation or recipe. These ingredients, or raw materials, can be subdivided into the following main categories: polymers, fillers, plasticisers, accelerators, crosslinking agents and many other special products. Only the right composition and a perfect mixing process result into optimum properties of the final product.

The rubber and plastic polymers used in HEXPOL interact with the environment in a number of ways. A certain amount of impact occurs at our units, while other impacts occur during production of raw materials, transports and disposal of the waste that occurs in various places. The environmental impact – in a life-cycle perspective – of polymers is shortly described below.

Synthetic rubber

About 60 percent of world production of synthetic rubber is used for tire manufacture. HEXPOL’s rubber product portfolio contains around 84 percent synthetic rubber, the remainder being natural rubber. Synthetic rubber is a product of the petroleum industry and our experience is spread over a large number of polymer types, for example, EPDM, SBR and NBR.

The environmental impact from the production and use of synthetic rubber derives primarily from energy consumption, use of fossil raw materials, emissions to air and water, and waste products. The positive environmental aspects of synthetic rubber is, for example, associated with products that contribute to energy saving and reduction of noise and vibration.

Natural rubber

The rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis requires a tropical climate. Today, more than 90 percent of all natural rubber comes from South-east Asia, although there are also plantations in South America and Africa. Nearly 70 percent of natural rubber production is used in the tire industry.

An overview of the production process for natural rubber shows that the environmental impact are associated with clearing of forest, the use of energy, chemicals, nutrients and biocides, and from emissions to water. HEXPOL has no rubber plantations of its own and natural rubber makes up around 16 percent of the total use of rubber polymers and around 11 percent of the total use of polymers.

Thermoplastic Elastomers

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are a family of rubber like materials that combine the performance of thermoset rubbers with the processing ease of plastics, to deliver enhanced design possibilities for a diverse range of markets including household, automotive, industrial, medical, construction, electronics, sports, toys and caps and closures. One thing that TPEs materials have in common is that they are completely recyclable. TPEs can also be combined with natural materials, for example, cork.

Thermoplastics

A thermoplastic is a plastic material that can be repeatedly softened by heating and hardened by cooling. Examples of thermoplastics include polythene (polyethylene), polypropylene and polyamide nylon. Thermoplastics are fully recyclable and in ideal situations thermoplastics can be repeatedly melted and remoulded into new products.

Conventional thermoplastics are produced from fossil petroleum products and the main environmental aspects are the use of non-renewable raw materials, emissions of climate-changing gases and generation of waste. In recent years composite materials have been obtained from the combination of recycled thermoplastics and biodegradable waste of little economic value, for example, rice husks and recycled cotton. Life-cycle analyses show that such composites exhibit a significantly reduced environmental impact during the materials acquisition and processing
phases compared to conventional virgin thermoplastics.