Reviewing our product packing practices in Switzerland

Road to net zero by 2040

As a significant player in the HVAC industry, we recognise that we must participate in mitigating climate change. Therefore, we are committed to innovative, energy-saving solutions to reduce the impact of HVAC systems on the environment and are committed to sustainable practices throughout the entire value chain.

This also means we question our existing processes and constantly seek improvement opportunities. Reducing waste and plastic is one of the three pillars of our sustainable manufacturing strategy and one of our key priorities is looking to improve the sustainability of our packaging to minimize pollution.

Recently we conducted this exercise for our IMI Pneumatex product range at our Füllinsdorf plant in Switzerland.

To find the best packaging solution, we conducted various tests with different materials, including cardboard, stackable boxes, compostable air cushions and protective rings.

The new method reduces plastic consumption by up to 26% and doesn’t compromise on package protection, volume, or time to pack. It will also help reduce CO2 emissions by two tons per year.

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The primary challenge we found was that more sustainable, non-plastic materials were often not durable enough for multiple handlings during packaging or transport.  In addition, more protective types of packaging significantly increased the volume of the items being transported which meant loading times would be extended and fewer expansion vessels could be transported, leading to a significant increase in CO2 emissions. Therefore, these options had to be excluded.

After months of in-depth testing, the most sustainable but still effective packaging solution we found was to utilize our existing packaging material but develop a new way to pack our products. The new method reduces plastic consumption by up to 26% and doesn’t compromise on package protection, volume, or time to pack.

This method was tested for all sizes of our U-vessels with positive feedback both from our operations team and customers.

This new packaging solution will help reduce CO2 emissions by two tons per year, and it doesn’t stop there. We will be applying the same approach to our Zeparo range and continue looking for opportunities to optimise other existing processes to continue our journey to Net Zero.

Discover more about our Green Initiatives