Gonvarri’s commitment to the environment began with the certification of its Environmental Management System under the ISO 14001 standard. At present, 83% of the group’s factories are certified.
In addition, to cover the materialisation of possible environmental risks, we make financial provisions and have guarantees to cover the occurrence of these risks in the insurance policies it has taken out, with coverage of up to €20m.
For the monitoring and measurement of data and relevant environmental information, since 2017 it has been consolidated through the “Sygris-Environment” software.
Energy
Gonvarri’s production process is intensive in energy consumption, especially in those factories where there are steelmaking processes such as zinc plating or galvanising. This is why monitoring, controlling and reducing energy consumption are very important aspects of the company’s management.
In 2021, Gonvarri consumed a total of 264 GWh of energy, of which 138 GWh corresponds to the consumption of fossil fuels and 126 GWh corresponds to electricity consumption, with 6% of this consumption coming from renewable sources.
Energy Efficiency
With regard to energy saving measures and the reduction of tonnes of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, we work year after year to exceed the targets set at the beginning of the project.
During 2021, 8 energy saving measures (ESMs) were implemented in different plants of the group, increasing the annual rate of energy savings by 2.21 GWh.
With these measures, 86 MAEs have now been accounted for since the start of the ECO-ENERGY project. This has resulted in an annual energy saving rate of 17.44 GWh, which represents a reduction in energy consumption of 7 %.
Greenhouse gas emissions
At Gonvarri Industries, following the approval in 2020 of the Carbon Neutral 2030-50 Plan, an ambitious roadmap was defined with important emission reduction targets.
The monitoring of energy consumption and the calculation of emissions are the first step towards having rigorous information on the company’s real situation in terms of emissions.
In 2021, Gonvarri Industries emitted 65,180 tonnes of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere, corresponding to direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions due to electricity consumption (Scope 2).
For Gonvarri Industries, being a carbon neutral company means being part of an important commitment in the fight against climate change, assuming a series of actions that promote and contribute to mitigating its impact. For this reason, we defined and approved the “Carbon Neutral 2030/50 Plan” and incorporated it into the company’s decision-making, business strategy, management and performance.
Raw materials
Gonvarri Industries uses various materials to manufacture its products. Steel consumption accounts for 96.8% and aluminium for 2.7% of the total.
Waste Management
Gonvarri’s factories produced a total of 322,525 tonnes of waste, 93% of which was non-hazardous and the remaining 7% hazardous.
Circular Economy Initiatives
Within this framework and due to its characteristics, steel is key. It is a fundamental material in society and the main component of all Gonvarri’s processes, representing more than 95% of its total consumption.
At Gonvarri, instead of focusing on the Circular Economy as an end goal, we want to use the concept as a tool to guide us towards continuous improvement of production processes and greater environmental responsibility.
The proposals cover the whole life cycle, from production and consumption to waste management, including the secondary raw materials market.
Integrated management of scrap
Scrap is the main waste generated at Gonvarri. It is also 100% recyclable, which is why it has an integrated centralised collection and recovery system for all the group’s plants.
Purchases of recycled steel
We estimate that 36% of the steel used in the group is of recycled origin, which, together with the efficient management of scrap, favours the development of a more circular steel value chain.
The Report includes different projects in the area of Circular Economy.
Except for some specific processes, the activity carried out in the factories does not require water for its operation, and therefore has low consumption. However, as water is an essential and increasingly scarce natural resource, it is monitored to achieve its sustainable use. In 2021, total consumption was 287,580m3, 8% more than in 2020.
Preventing soil contamination is a key management aspect. Gonvarri’s factories have the corresponding instructions and means to act quickly in the event of any incident and carries out awareness-raising activities to raise the awareness of all workers.
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