Press: PECM Sustainability talks

Everyone’s talking about Sustainability but how do you make it real and avoid it becoming just a tick-box exercise? It can be challenging to scratch beneath the marketing gloss and understand what really makes a difference.

When it comes to electrical cables, we’re talking Copper and Aluminium conductors with layers of polymeric insulation and sheathing, plus braids, armouring and other layers as appropriate to deliver the performance, protection, and standards compliance required. Global cable standards dictate the use of virgin materials, and manufacture still depends on raw metals being extracted and processed; it’s carbon-intensive but there are few alternatives. It also means long-distance transportation by road or sea which has its own emissions. Yet with almost every industry from e-Mobility and Renewable Energy to Rail and Industrial Automation looking to decarbonise, how can you make a positive impact?

What can you do as a cable buyer?

The more suitable the cable, the less stress on the system. Hone the specification to balance performance demands, installation design, and environmental challenges. The more suited the cable is, the better optimized and more efficiently the system will run. Seek support where needed to get the best fit possible.
Choose quality and it’ll last longer. Verified quality and compliance plays a key role in delivering sustainable operations – there’s less risk of premature failure, less maintenance required. It might seem obvious but from a sustainability perspective you want to avoid having to replace the cable down the line as that’s materials, product delivery, installation equipment, and time on site that would otherwise not be necessary.

What questions should you ask of your supplier?

Do you have a sustainability plan? Having a defined plan with meaningful actions and targets means it’s being taken seriously. Look for commitments to carbon emissions reductions and Net Zero strategies such as SBTI (Science Based Targets Initiative), ethical and environmental commitments like the UN Global Compact Sustainable Development Goals, and recognition from platforms like Ecovadis on sustainability actions and governance.
How is my order delivered? Did you know that HGVs fueled by Biofuels instead of diesel can cut emissions by over 85% - important for longer distances and deliveries of larger, heavier cable drums as we do. Green route planning by transport teams can reduce mileage. Look also for Electric vehicles as part of the fleet – especially if they’re charged via renewable energy.
Is the Packaging recycled and/or recyclable? There’s no reason now for packaging to not be made from sustainable or recycled materials, and for them to be suitable for recycling after use. Even pallet wrap can be recyclable or biodegradable. The cable drums, reels and plys can also be repaired, reused or recycled. Of course, it’s important that you do then recycle these items after they’ve served their purpose – if you don’t have the facilities to do it, ask your supplier if they can help. For instance, we offer drum collections when backhauling from a site.
What more do you do? This is deliberately open-ended as there’s so much more that a company can do. For example, we use solar panels to generate enough energy to match our annual consumption: any excess is fed into the Grid, whilst any grid electricity we use is on 100% renewable tariffs. We have a cable recycling facility that processes not just our own cable waste but that of customers’ too, taking their installation offcuts and redundant legacy power cables – the materials can’t be made into cables again but they have lots of other uses, saving on the overall consumption of raw materials. We’re also conscious that sustainability isn’t an isolated effort so we’re working with our wider supply chain to see where we can make changes.

Why are we telling you this? We’re sharing what we’re doing to prompt conversations – after all, as part of your supply chain your cable supplier’s actions have an impact on you. This is just a starting point. We’re pushing forward with our Sustainability plans and our journey to Net Zero continues… the question is what are you doing and how can we work together to achieve the environmental gains we need?

For more information: Read our Sustainability report: https://www.elandcables.com/company/about-us/esg-sustainability

Get in touch: sustainability@elandcables.com

Published in PECM Magazine Sept/Oct 2022