Our environmental commitments

We are deploying photovoltaic installations at several of our production sites with the aim of generating 10% of our electricity consumption directly from renewable sources.

These photovoltaic installations are deployed on the roofs of our buildings and car parks.

Solar power generation at our sites enables us to increase our local electricity production and reduce the share of electricity generated from fossil fuels.

The benefits of this initiative are numerous:

• Local solar power generation: Generating electricity directly at our sites enables us to increase the share of solar energy in our electricity supply.
• Optimizing local resources: By using the solar energy available at our sites, we increase local electricity production and reduce our reliance on external energy sources.
• Innovation and competitiveness: The deployment of solar power generation technologies supports the development of our industrial infrastructure and contributes to managing our long-term energy costs.

Over the next few years, our aim is to continue developing our solar power generation capacity in order to increase the share of electricity generated directly at our sites. At the same time, we are exploring other solutions to reduce energy consumption and the emissions associated with our activities.

At HEF, we integrate circular economy principles into some of our production processes. This approach aims to move from a linear production model towards a circular model, in which certain consumables are produced from recycled production waste. Waste collected and recovered using patented technologies can then become new resources.

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

1. Reduction and optimization of resources: We work to optimize the use of raw materials in our production processes in order to reduce waste and raw material consumption. This approach is supported by technological developments and the automation of certain processes.

2. Recycling and recovery of waste: In a circular model, certain types of waste can be reused as resources. At our liquid nitriding plants, we have set up processes to recycle certain production waste. The use of consumables produced from this recycled material helps reduce the need for new mining resources. In our vacuum deposition business, end-of-life targets are sent to a dedicated recycling facility.

3. Eco-design and Life Cycle Assessment: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) work has been carried out to compare linear and circular models applied to nitriding treatments and to identify priority areas for improvement. This approach involved different HEF Group business units and aims to progressively integrate LCA as a decision-making tool for future choices.