With the Footprint Reduction Tool, FRED for short, foundries can not only calculate their CO2 footprint, but also reduce it. We asked Elke Radtke, contact person at the BDG for FRED and a staunch promoter of the tool, what experiences have been made with it so far and where the foundry industry currently stands on its path to climate neutrality.
Elke Radtke: That's a good question, because there really are these misconceptions about the effectiveness of climate protection measures in companies. The classic example: a foundry operates electric melting units and believes that switching these furnaces to green electricity will get them off the hook in terms of climate protection. In principle, such a switch offers great leverage for reducing indirect CO2 emissions. However, natural gas is also used in almost all foundries, for example for ladle preheating or core drying. In some cases, these are not insignificant quantities that have an impact on the climate. Ultimately, these can be avoided through electrification, for example - provided that the electricity used also comes from renewable sources.
Another underestimated factor - especially for non-ferrous metal foundries - is the origin of the metallic material. If, for example, primary aluminum is cast, its contribution to the company's overall footprint can be many times higher than that of its own energy consumption. The primary material simply brings a large CO2 backpack from its costly extraction into the company. The only solution to reduce these climate-damaging emissions is to use secondary materials. The problem here is that the world market does not yet have enough of it. Aluminum is a relatively new metal. A recycling system is only slowly becoming established here, as much of it is simply still in use or being used in some other way.
