INDUSTRIALI

Exploring the important sustainability efforts taking place beyond obvious industries

- Christian Barker

The likes of Tesla and Patagonia probably spring most readily to mind when talk turns to corporate sustainability. But it is not only conspicuous companies such as these that are striving to operate in a more eco‑friendly way, or to create products that help us all minimise our carbon footprints.

Take Denmark‑headquartered multinational Danfoss, for instance. With a core focus on manufacturing products used in refrigerating food, heating or cooling buildings, and powering machinery—all activities that can use a lot of power—Danfoss might not seem an obvious champion of sustainability. Yet, it is precisely by delivering these technologies more efficiently and cleanly that the company is in a position to have a significant impact on emission‑reduction efforts.

Jan Schoemaker, its Singapore‑based regional president for Asia Pacific, says that today, Danfoss’s primary mission is to support customers in their efforts to reduce energy use, lower emissions and adopt greener power sources. “Our purpose is to be part of the solution and to help create a better future,” he states. “We have the solutions ready that are needed to address challenges around decarbonisation and sustainability.” The company’s technologies, he expounds, are developed with the overarching goal of improving energy efficiency, reusing excess energy, and sourcing any remaining energy needs from renewables. “That’s the three‑step recipe that we apply,” he says. “We believe any business can decarbonise and we can help them [do that].” This is not just the right thing to do, from a global citizenship standpoint, but it also makes sound business sense.