What motivated EFTEC to calculate the company’s carbon footprint?
The company has been dedicated to environmental protection and stakeholder relations in the past. Recently, however, we have noticed a significantly increasing pressure from our customers to share specific data on our carbon footprint. It was clear to us that it would take us too long to build the necessary knowledge ourselves at the beginning, so we started looking for an experienced external partner.
How would you comment on the complexity of data collection? What role did the cooperation with EnviTrail consultants play in data collection, and how did you actually choose your calculation partner?
At first, we were just estimating how demanding the data collection might be. In the end, it turned out that we already had most of the required data available—it was just a matter of structuring it correctly. The consultants from EnviTrail significantly helped us organize and interpret this data, making the entire process much simpler than we initially expected.
How will you use the outcome, and what are the next steps EFTEC plans in sustainability and non-financial reporting?
The results of the calculation represent a baseline for us to create a decarbonization strategy. At the same time, they show our customers that we are actively engaged in this topic, which we see as a significant competitive advantage. The next steps include calculating the carbon footprint of products (CFP) and embedding the decarbonization strategy into the overall company sustainability strategy.
How would you evaluate the economic demands of working with a consulting firm on the calculation?
The price for this service did not surprise us at all. Before the actual selection, we carried out a thorough tender, and we can say that EnviTrail offers a very balanced price-to-benefit ratio.
Part of our cooperation was also the creation of a decarbonization strategy. In this area, we have already taken concrete steps—for example, in 2024 we put our own photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 100 MWh into operation.
Do you plan to implement any recommendations in practice, or if you want to share, what was recommended to you as a manufacturing company?
There were many recommendations—I’ll mention just a few. It was key from the beginning to clearly specify the assignment with EnviTrail—we did that, and left the rest to their expertise, which proved to be a good decision. As for the decarbonization proposals, every company is different and a universal solution cannot be applied. In our case, for example, expanding the solar power plant or using heat recovery makes sense. Conversely, technologies like heat pumps or full electrification of forklifts are not yet effective for us.
Did the project change your view of operations and manufacturing processes from the perspective of a quality and sustainability manager?
The project did not fundamentally change our perspective. We have long been used to working with data thanks to certifications such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. We have already looked at the company’s operation in a process and systematic way, and this project logically followed up on that. Certifications are a great help in this regard.
To what extent is the topic of decarbonization a matter of compliance with legislative requirements and to what extent is it an economic intention?
I mainly see meaning in these activities, and that is the most important thing in my view—it has to make clear sense to us. Of course, we must meet legislative requirements; we are a responsible company and want to be indispensable partners for our customers.
Which decarbonization measures would you consider the most difficult to implement for your sector?
We are a chemical manufacturing company working with a variety of raw materials from which our mixtures are produced. Even the input materials often have a high carbon footprint, so we see the greatest potential for improvement with our suppliers—it depends on how they reduce the carbon intensity of their products, which we then use in production.
What pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised you in the project?
We were pleasantly surprised that EnviTrail managed the entire project very efficiently, yet non-intrusively. At every step, we received detailed comments and explanations about why a particular procedure is important and what its purpose is, including the calculation’s conclusion. So far, we evaluate the cooperation positively and are keeping options open for the future.
What support would you welcome in the field of sustainability or industrial decarbonization, e.g., from the state or other institutions?
At the moment, I can’t answer that precisely, but in a year I will probably know. For us as a private sector company, the discussion about whether activities like decarbonization and sustainability represent a competitive advantage is not relevant at all—the answer is clearly yes. For our customers, who are the largest players in the production of passenger and commercial vehicles, these factors are a key criterion when choosing a supplier. If we want to succeed and remain competitive, we have no other option. However, I have to return to my previous point—as I mentioned, these activities also have to make sense for us internally.
Radomír Klement
Quality and Sustainability Manager, EFTEC