GKN in the environment
At GKN, we are committed to playing our part in the protection of the environment, both in the operation of our facilities and the design of our products.
Our production operations are required to achieve certification to the internationally recognised environmental management system standard – ISO 14001. ISO 14001 requires a commitment to continuous improvement in environmental performance. All significant GKN manufacturing locations are either certified to ISO 14001 or are in the process of obtaining certification.
We measure the impact of our operations on the environment against the key performance indicators of energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions, water usage, waste generation and recycled waste. We are committed to continuous improvement in our environmental performance and are taking action to address each of these impact areas. Operating sites are required to set annual improvement targets in line with our commitment to continuous improvement. We report on our performance against these metrics in our Annual Report. View the latest data.
In terms of energy usage, we have set a Group target of achieving a 15% reduction over the five year period 2009 - 2014. In 2010, every site was required to develop an energy efficiency plan to be implemented through the site continuous improvement plan.
Our actions to reduce the generation of waste adhere to the hierarchy of, first, not producing waste, second, reusing materials, and finally, if neither of these is possible, to recycle rather than dispose of material.
A key business driver across all of our Divisions is the demand for lighter weight, more fuel efficient products providing opportunities for car and aircraft manufacturers to build vehicles and airplanes with improved fuel economy and therefore lower CO2 emissions. Examples are given in the technology section of this website.
Click on the links to find out more about how GKN is helping reduce its impact on the environment:
Reusing phosphate waste
Elimination of non-contact cooling water waste
Expanding the recycling programme
Introduction of a dry painting process