GF Building Flow Solutions’ carbon-neutral factories: Three new sites mark a milestone on the journey towards carbon-neutral operations

“Operating in an industry that has a significant impact on counteracting climate change, as well as on the delivery of hygienic drinking water, GF Building Flow Solutions strives continuously to pioneer in sustainable water solutions for buildings. The manufacturing of our products and solutions is based on sound environmental management practices, embracing renewable energy sources across our global operations to reduce their environmental footprint. We are committed to taking an active approach in limiting our operational impacts and assuring efficient use of resources”, said Thomas Fuhr, Chief Technology Officer at GF Building Flow Solutions. “With the site in Cerkezkoy, the Ecoflex production site in Hassfurt, and the Apple Valley manufacturing facility we have reached yet another milestone in GF’s journey towards carbon neutral operations.”

GF Building Flow Solutions’ manufacturing in Cerkezkoy (Turkey), a.k.a Georg Fischer Hakan Plastik, is specialized in high-quality wastewater solutions. Key actions for emission reductions at the plant focus on energy management and efficiency, including the use of renewable energy, reducing the site’s emissions by about 95 % compared to the baseline 2019. Waste management and circular economy approaches have cut production and facility waste by 36 %.

The Ecoflex production in Hassfurt (Germany) began its transitioning toward carbon-neutral manufacturing over a decade ago by switching entirely to 100% certified green electricity. Key energy-efficiency improvement measures in the production and in the buildings included upgrading the heating system and modifications such as installing a solar energy plant. As a result, the site’s emissions have been reduced by about 91% as compared to the baseline.

The Apple Valley manufacturing facility at GF’s North American headquarters has implemented significant measures to achieve carbon-neutral status. These include the use of 100% green electricity, converting three natural gas boilers to electric, and converting to 100% LED lighting. Additionally, nearly 100 windows were replaced to increase efficiency and the RTU (remote terminal unit) was replaced with electric heat instead of natural gas. As a result, CO₂e emissions have been reduced by 93%, significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions. 

To achieve full carbon neutral status, according to GF Building Flow Solutions’ Carbon Neutral Factory concept, the rest of the emissions at all three sites will be offset through a combination of tree-based carbon removal verified and retired using the Verra registry and biochar-based carbon removal using the Puro.earth or Carbon Standards International registry. 

“Together with our teams and all GF Building Flow Solutions colleagues that have been involved in these processes, I am proud of our track record of cutting emissions at additional sites,” said Thomas Fuhr. “These accomplishments showcase our continued commitment to being an industry leader in sustainability.”
 

More information about GF’s Sustainability Framework.