Page 34 - Metalforming Magazine April 2022

SUSTAINABILITY
IMPROVES ESG
REPORTING
THROUGH BETTER LUBRICATION PRACTICES
Sustainability, greenhouse gases (GHG), emissions and carbon neutral all are terms making headlines these days. Here’s how they relate to your metal forming business.
BY TROY TURNBULL
We all want to be environmen- tally friendly and socially responsible, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact our compa- nies financially. So, as sustainability, greenhouse gases (GHG), emissions and carbon-neutral initiatives all cost money and time, the question really is: Will they improve operations and bring in more business?
Given the upcoming changes from the EPA placed on large companies and OEMs, the answer is, “Yes.” These initiatives very well could provide com- panies a big competitive advantage as sustainability improvements nearly always provide cost savings.
Troy Turnbull is president and CEO of Industrial Innovations, Inc. Grandville, MI; www.industrialinnovations.com.
In 2019, 90 percent of S&P 500-listed companies produced ESG (environ- mental, social and governmental) reports indicating improvements to their sustainability programs. The ESG reporting mechanism is not an exact formula, but rather a framework for disclosure of sustainable quantified data. An ESG report features three GHG emission scopes:
• Scope 1—Emissions directly from owned or controlled sources (those emitted due to processes), including fossil-fuel combustion and fleet fuel consumption.
• Scope 2—Emissions generated indirectly from the generation of pur- chased energy, including emissions resulting from the generation of elec- tricity, heat or steam purchased from a utility provider.
• Scope 3—Indirect emissions not included in Scope 2 that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including upstream and downstream emissions, which often account for the majority of a company’s carbon foot- print.
If you supply parts to companies producing ESG reports, consider your- self to fall within Scope 3, an area where your customer must improve. Many OEMs and other large companies now apply an ESG risk rating to measure the degree to which their economic value is at risk driven by ESG factors.
They use this rating to assess their sup- ply chain and help regulate sourcing policies. If you have set a baseline, have an improvement strategy and track your emissions, then you very well may have a preferred supplier status with your customers.
So, how can you improve your ESG compliance?
Lubricant Ratio and Proper Use Help Eliminate Waste
The proper use of lubrication in the pressroom can affect each of the three scopes and deliver quick and effective improvements to your ESG reporting. The emission of excess gases (Scope 1) can result directly from using the incor- rect lubricant, an improper dilution ratio, excessively applied lube or inac- curate lubricant placement, which ends up burning off into the atmosphere or being hauled away as waste.
If you can’t remember when you last changed lubricants, consider meeting with your lubricant supplier to help determine the best choice for every part that you manufacture. One size often does not fit all, and the optimal lubricant and application process can vary.
If using a graphite mixture or oil- based product, consider switching to a synthetic or semisynthetic lubricant for easier disposal. This search may include establishing a dilution ratio for the lubricant that better improves
32 MetalForming/April 2022
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