Sustainability in action: via the Czech Republic

It’s also a purpose that informs our commitment to setting bold and ambitious targets, which has led to the Gigaton Challenge. This is an initiative aimed at helping reduce 1 billion metric tons of CO2e emissions (which equates to 2% of the world’s annual total) from our customers’ carbon footprint by 2030.

A reality that also impacts Thermo King as a business, and to give an example of how we’re responding, let’s briefly take a journey to the Czech Republic.

Accepting the challenge

Situated 47 kilometers east of Prague, sits the beautiful town of Kolin. Here, Thermo King has been manufacturing air conditioning sets for railroad vehicles since 1996.

The facility is also helping the company lead the charge to a more sustainable future, by setting and hitting a number of impressive green targets. To start with, the plant itself has achieved some stand out recent results:

• Electricity consumption this year alone is down 11%
• Similarly for natural gas, usage here is down 35%
• The waste produced by the facility has also seen a dramatic drop of 31%
• It has also achieved zero waste to landfill over the past several years

There has also been a focus on reducing the use of drinking water in operational procedures, which is now down 7.5%. A result achieved by fitting a large underground tank to collect rainwater, which is now powering items such as toilets.

Getting smart with energy

Energy consumption across the plant has also improved. A result achieved through a variety of measures including:

• The replacement of compressors for the production of compressed air
• The implementation of a more efficient lighting system
• Better planning and utilization of the available machinery
• Closer supervision of on-going compliance with energy-saving rules

Not that the energy savings achieved are focused exclusively on electricity. For example, the gas heating of all production and administrative areas has been made more efficient – with a long-term plan in play to potentially move from gas heating to heat pumps.

Better still, the improvements are set to continue with the planned introduction of a Building Management System. Once in use, this will help identify the worst performing equipment, alongside other areas in need of improvement. In addition, the system will also produce invaluable insights – such as machines being left on when not in use, and rooms being heated when unoccupied – to help inspire further gains.

Looking to the future

For the team at Kolin, such progress is described as “just the beginning”. Big plans are in motion to enhance the site’s green credentials even further. These include:

• In 2023, a new solar power station will be installed, able to produce one megawatt peak (MWp) and co-funded by the state
• A new waste water treatment facility is also planned for next year, which will enable the re-use of over 800,000 liters of water
• The plant’s buildings will also see an intelligent LED lighting system fitted to help power smarter energy consumption
• As for products, the need to replace environmentally damaging refrigerants such as R134 is seeing the growing use of new refrigerants such as A2L in our production processes

A platform for engagement

The plant’s transformation is certainly helping champion Thermo King’s leadership in the Gigaton Challenge. That said, it also sits within our own corporate sustainability goals which involve:

• Achieving carbon neutral operations
• Delivering a 10% absolute energy reduction
• Maintaining zero waste to landfill (part of our 25×25 initiative that helps plants and supply chain operations accelerate decarbonization by creating a glidepath to lower carbon emissions)
• Reaching our EMEA sustainability goal of carbon neutrality for all Thermo King sites in the region by the end of 2023

For Kolin, this year’s carbon reduction efforts have resulted in a saving of 614 metric tons. Yet as well as being a corporate initiative, these advances are also being driven by the plant’s employees.

A key platform for such focused effort has been the creation of a sustainability team featuring members of all departments, as well as the introduction of a Behavioral Based Safety system. This latter point has seen questions raised during audits to identify further employee-driven energy savings, environmental improvements, and carbon footprint reductions.

Between the two, there now exists a clear channel for identifying and exploring new green opportunities, with two good examples being:

• The idea to replace wooden crates for customer deliveries with reusable metal packaging
• The switch from plastic boxes for storing copper piping with reusable textile options, which has helped cut out significant plastic waste

Embrace your sustainability story

The Gigaton Challenge has helped inspire Thermo King to think big when it comes to sustainability. From our internal operations to delivering a wide range of sustainability solutions for customers, we’re setting bold targets and making solid progress toward them.

You can read more about our sustainable technology here.