Our commitments to a more sustainable industry

As part of our commitment to sustainable development and reducing our carbon footprint, we have launched an ambitious project to install photovoltaic panels on our production plants. Thanks to this initiative, we aim to produce 10% of our electrical energy from renewable sources directly on our plants.

These photovoltaic installations, located on the roofs of our buildings and parking plants, mark a key stage in our energy transition.

They enable us not only to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but also to strengthen our energy autonomy while limiting our environmental impact.

The benefits of this initiative are numerous:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: Solar power generation is a low-carbon solution that significantly reduces our greenhouse gas emissions.
  For example, in fiscal year 2023-2024, we succeeded in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 2,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in China, thanks to the installation of photovoltaic panels.
• Optimizing local resources: By using the solar energy available on our sites, we maximize energy efficiency while reducing long-term operating costs.
• Innovation and competitiveness: This initiative is part of our drive to innovate by adopting new technologies to make our production processes more competitive and sustainable.

Over the next few years, our aim is to continue to develop this solar energy production capacity in order to increase the proportion of carbon-free electricity used in our operations. At the same time, we are exploring other energy solutions to take our environmental approach even further.

By investing in solar energy and working actively on the energy efficiency of our processes, we are asserting our determination to contribute to the global energy transition, while consolidating our role as a responsible industrial player.

At HEF, we have made a strong commitment by adopting the principles of the circular economy in our production processes. This approach aims to transform our linear industrial production model into a circular one, where consumables are derived from the recycling of production waste. Waste, collected and valorized by patented technologies, becomes a resource.

The circular economy is based on three main principles that structure our approach:

1. Reduction and optimization of resources: We optimize the use of raw materials in our production lines to limit waste and reduce raw material consumption. This is made possible by state-of-the-art technology and automation.

2.Recycling and recovery of waste: In a circular model, waste becomes a valuable resource to be reused. We have set up recycling processes for production waste at our liquid nitriding plants. By using recycled consumables, we limit our dependence on mining resources. In our vacuum deposition business, we send end-of-life targets to a special recycling facility.

3.Eco-design: We are working on the eco-design of our circular economy processes to minimize their environmental impact. The Life Cycle Assessment comparing the linear and circular models for nitriding treatments will enable us to identify priority areas of work. This Life Cycle Assessment has been carried out with all the HEF Group’s business units; its appropriation of this tool at all levels will make it an important decision-making tool for the Group’s future choices.

Thanks to this transformation, we are placing sustainability at the heart of our operations, demonstrating that it is possible to reconcile industrial performance with environmental responsibility.