Renewable energies
Reduce our energy consumption and contribute to the rollout of renewable energy solutions to combat climate change.The inspiring Sustainable Development Goals
7.Affordable and clean energy
13.Climate actionInnovating for renewable energies
In line with its code of ethics and its commitment to the environment, ARMOR GROUP has chosen to focus its investment on research and development to find solutions likely to address challenges faced by society. This strategy has helped the Group enter the photovoltaics sector with an innovative product. This new technology provides access for all to an independent source of energy that can be fitted to all surfaces and is suitable for all types of light.
ASCA® is a low-carbon technology that contains no rare metals. UNlike conventional solar panels, this photovoltaic film is far lighter. It
weighs 500 grams per m² compared to 10-15 kg per m² for a conventional panel. ASCA® is part of the third generation of flexible, thin, “organic”
photovoltaic cells.
A life cycle and production process analysis found that ASCA® film uses less energy than standard solar panels. In fact, its environmental payback (return on investment in equivalent carbon emissions between the carbon footprint for production and emissions prevented by its use) is estimated to be just 3 months compared to more than 18 months for a conventional solar panel. Final processing of the product is made easier due to its organic features, free of rare or toxic components such as, for example, cadmium.
ASCA® film is a new product for which ARMOR GROUP is gradually creating practical applications. In doing so, the business draws on partnerships and sharing expertise to design products of the future that are useful, innovative, and environmentally-friendly
Good practices
The ASCA challenge
ASCA launched the inaugural ASCA Challenge to promote future innovations using ASCA photovoltaic film instead of IoT solutions for batteries and power packs. Nantais AtmoTrack won first prize for its micro-sensor that measures atmospheric air quality in real-time to understand where pollution come from and subsequently optimize actions undertaken to
protect public health. Selection criteria included the solution’s innovative nature, perceived benefits, the potential target market when implementing the solution, the financial viability of the venture and its social and environmental impact.
Helping to mitigate climate change
ARMOR GROUP is striving to manage the impact of its business activities on the key challenge of climate change. As such, from 2008, prior to French legislation, the ARMOR Group’s French operational sites conducted studies on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) linked to their business activities. This assessment was expanded in the Group (operational sites) and to all direct and indirect sources of emissions both upstream and downstream of production from 2016. A methodological guide outlines the scope and calculation methods.
In 2002, the La Chevrolière site, in France, invested in a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) fitted with a VOC emission treatment and co-generation system, in addition to a natural gas feed. A VOC emissions indicator is monitored as part of the site’s operating license, which was revised in 2016 and set at a maximum rate of 6%.
While ARMOR-IIMAK subsidary in China has no statutory obligation to meet this target, it invested in a similar system
which was commissioned in 2016 and has delivered tangible benefits since 2017.
Good practices
Project Uberlandia
Together with a logistics operator, ARMOR Brazil has introduced a strategic stock system for its finished products in the city of Uberlandia, 600 km from the country’s economic capital, Sao Paulo. Instead of air freight, ARMOR is now using river then road transport to ship its goods the 4,000 km from Manaus to Uberlandia, while ensuring a more efficient delivery service for its customers plus reduced transport costs
Saving energy and opting for renewable energies
At ARMOR, our commitment to energy transition involves cutting energy consumption:
• as part of ISO 14001 environmental management standards • worldwide
• as part of ISO 50001 energy management standards • at the La Chevrolière site (France)
• using renewable energies as soon as possible • worldwide
Good practices
Production site optimization
In Brazil, site arrangements have been reviewed and optimized to target industrial and environmental performance. New layouts for specific working areas have freed up space and helped streamline product storage in warehouses, while 3 air-conditioning units have been replaced by just 2 new energy-efficient units, delivering a 15% cut in electricity consumption.
Good practices
Solar energy production
ARMOR-IIMAK subsidiary India Delhi has reinstated previously unused photovoltaic panels for its own use. This power plant generated just over 18,000 kWh in 2020, or 6.7% of the site’s annual energy consumption
