A recent survey conducted by packaging company, Smurfit Kappa, in partnership with the Financial Times, reported that 50 per cent of businesses claim to have tangible and ambitious plans to achieve net zero by 2050, and 61% say sustainability is changing the way they measure financial performance.
In the wood sector, leading abrasives manufacturer, Mirka, is no stranger to sustainability and highlighting its performance in 2022 through its Sustainability Report, aligned with its ‘Clean Commitments’ – a set of four global principles that embrace Performance, Partner, Production, and Proactivity – reinforces the organisation’s journey towards a more sustainable business.
Spearheaded by a €30M development funding acquired from Business Finland for the innovative SHAPE project and its ecosystem, Mirka’s head office in Jeppo is leading a major drive to be among the most sustainably advanced organisations in the world.
In 2022, Mirka invested in fossil-free electricity generated by hydropower at all its production facilities in Finland, which are now run entirely on fossil-free electricity. This also led to a 56per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions within scope 1 and 2. Mirka also installed solar panels on its production facility in Fino Mornasco in Lombardy, Italy, so that the site is entirely powered by solar energy.
Its production facilities in Jakobstad, Finland were expanded with an energy solution based on geo-energy from geothermal holes, which means the site will reduce its annual carbon dioxide emissions by around 900 tonnes. The company also invested in a purification and heat recovery system at its Oravais plant in Western Finland, transitioning from oil heating to recycled energy using the extra heat by the end of the year.
In addition, air transport has been reduced by 30 per cent, and further energy solutions have been phased across several sites, leading to 70 per cent renewable energy use in Mirka’s production facilities.
But what does this mean for Mirka’s UK operation, based in Milton Keynes? “Sustainability is critical for any modern business,” comments MD, Craig Daycock. “Time and again corporate surveys have highlighted that companies that place sustainability at the heart of their organisations are valued more highly and there is a positive impact on the bottom line. So, the benefits are not just towards the environment but to the long-term goodwill and financial strength of the business.
“Mirka’s drive is underpinned by the EU wanting sanding tools and abrasives to be long-lasting. To address sustainability, we are constantly investing in R&D to ensure our customers, whether they are using wide belts or other abrasives from our product portfolio, have access to products that have a long lifespan and provide a consistent cut from the first use to the last.
“Mirka’s vision over 15 years ago was to research and invest in sustainable technology, and, as a result, new products have been launched to meet the upcoming EU Green Deal as well as to innovate in belt sanding. This investment is part of our ‘Clean Commitments’ philosophy and we anticipate that this will lead to customers moving away from the ‘cheap’ abrasives, which are typically constructed from lesser quality raw materials and affect the quality of the finish and the time taken to complete a job.
“Mirka’s commitment to be a leading proponent of sustainable values began many years ago,” Craig concludes. “Since then, considerable smart long-term investments have been made to improve the sustainability of our operations. These investments helped us overcome the pandemic’s challenges, and our sustainability work will continue to drive our innovation to ensure our customers can meet their own sustainability goals.”
Read the full Mirka Sustainability Report here: https://cdn.brandfolder.io/DL1PQ307/at/ w3br7g448kr3wkkth7nfs5/Mirka_Sustainability_ Report_2022.pdf
www.mirka.com
