Sustainability is the foundation for all development in Mariestad. Our municipality is located in Lake Vänern archipelago, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Biosphere Reserves involve local communities and all interested stakeholders to become a model region for sustainable development. Mariestad is also home to Electrivillage, a unique venture that involves testing and demonstrating sustainable transport and energy systems in the biosphere reserve. In a series of articles published on our Climate Dialogue Page on We Don’t Have Time, we highlight some of the impressive climate action taking place within the companies in our municipality. ”It is with pride that we present our next company that is investing in the future. It’s great to have companies in very different sectors that see business opportunities in working sustainably”, says Susanné Wallner, business manager with a special focus on sustainability, in Mariestad municipality.
UW-ELAST manufactures custom-made polyurethane components to clients worldwide. Polyurethane is an oil-based material, and might not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing climate action and sustainability.
But UW-ELAST might prove you wrong.
First, and maybe most importantly: The products made by UW-ELAST are very durable.
”The climate-friendliest product is the one that is never made, and if we can construct products that will last for decades, without having to replace them with new ones, that’s probably the best thing we could do for the climate. We never mass-produce, and we always strive to offer the right polyurethane of the highest possible quality”, says Magnus Ahl, head of sustainability at UW-ELAST in Mariestad.
One important sector for UW-ELAST is the off-shore wind industry. For instance, UW-ELAST manufactures gigantic one-tonne fenders, which are used by vessels when boarding off-shore wind power stations for construction and maintenance work.
”When using the fenders to hook on to the platform, the vessel doesn’t need to work the engines as hard to keep the boat from drifting. This actually saves a lot of fossil fuel”, says Magnus Ahl.
High-performance fenders for boarding off-shore wind turbine foundations, produced by UW-ELAST.
The company has also taken several steps to actively reduce its own climate footprint. In 2018 UW-ELAST started using the Green-House Gas Protocol to measure all in-house and value-chain emissions. It turned out that the company emits 4,9 kg of CO2 for every kilo of polyurethane manufactured.
”80 percent of our value-chain emissions come from the production of the raw materials that we use. This means we need to start putting more pressure on our suppliers”, says Magnus Ahl.
To reduce its emissions UW-ELAST has changed its heating system in Mariestad from oil to district heating, and switched to 100 percent renewable electricity. The company has also started replacing fossil-fuel vehicles with electric ones.
Thanks to these efforts, emissions were reduced by 17 percent from 2018 to 2020. All the stats are made available for anyone to look at on the company website. The numbers are even more visible for clients, since the carbon footprint from each customer order is calculated and presented on the offer.
”It’s a way of displaying both the emissions, and how we compensate for them”, says Magnus Ahl.
UW-ELAST compensates for all its greenhouse gas emissions by funding a solar park in India.
”We are well aware of the ongoing debate regarding climate compensation as a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card. But the important thing to remember is that climate compensation should always be the last step, never the first.”
Magnus Ahl, head of sustainability at UW-ELAST in Mariestad.
UW-ELAST will soon start constructing its own solar park, on municipal land.
”Our politicians gave us the green light a month ago, so now it’s time to start making it happen”, says Magnus Ahl.
When finished, the solar park will produce 200 000 kWh in a typical year, which would provide UW-ELAST with 11 percent of its current electricity demand.
”Since it will be situated right next to the main entrance road, it will also give us a great marketing value.”
According to Magnus Ahl, polyurethan will be around for many years to come, because of its durability and unique features. But he is trying to stay updated on the latest development, and he says there is a lot of interesting research going on, both in terms of bioplastics and in making polyurethan recyclable.
In the meantime, UW-ELAST will continue to reduce its emissions year by year.
”It would say we can probably halve our emissions in five-ten years”, says Magnus Ahl.
FACT BOX
UW-ELAST, based in Mariestad and Traryd, is Scandinavia’s leading manufacturer of molded products in polyurethane. Its customers and partners are found in many industries, from large, heavy and well-known steel and paper industries, to small and medium-sized companies.
UW-ELAST is not a large and fully automated industry. Most of the steps in the process are pure craftsmanship that requires great care. The company currently has 65 employees.
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Wow. This is maybe one of the most sustainable plastic company? Great article and good climate action. I hope they will find an alternative to fossil-based plastic.