Our commitment to sustainability, which includes running our sites more efficiently, has led Infineum to come up with innovative ways of cutting carbon emissions.

Employees approached external specialists to better understand the role of steam across our 40-acre North American site, in Linden, which incorporates facilities supporting research and development. This includes state-of-the-art laboratories, pilot manufacturing plants and a pilot-scale lubricant blending facility.

The inefficiencies identified and subsequent actions taken have led to a 29% reduction in steam consumption at the site in 2021 compared to 2020. Overall, carbon emissions are down by around 1,000 tons, equivalent to those generated annually by more than 400 homes.*

*According to https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

There are impressive cost savings too, 350,000 US dollars annually.

Action to protect the environment reflects our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including the Climate Action goal (SDG 13).

Actions taken to reduce our steam consumption included:

• Replacing steam traps and cutting off and sealing steam lines in unoccupied buildings
• Using innovative techniques such as thermal guns to identify leaks
• Investing in more advanced equipment to improve steam quality and heat content, while reducing waste
• Routine reviews to ensure optimal building use and therefore less steam and electricity consumption

Next, the Linden team is investigating the reuse and recycling of water separated out in the steam process, so it can benefit other site areas.