Environment and Climate

In both product development and production, we are working on minimizing environmental impact and continuously improving environmental protection. For this purpose, we have introduced an environmental management system at all our 292 manufacturing sites around the world. It is based on the ISO 14001 international standard for environmental management. So far, 213 of these locations have been certified by an independent organization. By 2020, we aim to cut CO₂ emissions by at least 20 percent from their 2007 level.

In Europe, industry is responsible for some 16 percent of CO₂ emissions. Bosch is working on cutting this share. Despite the inclusion of 15 locations previously not included in consolidation, total energy consumption was almost constant in 2008 at 6,255.1 GWh. Total demand for heat at the locations rose by 1.2 percent from 2007. As a result, direct emissions also increased, by 1.2 percent. Established solutions include condensing boilers, heat pumps for the heating circuit, ventilation systems with regenerative heat exchangers, heat recovery from air compressors, and building insulation. The solutions are employed across the globe.

Since 2001, we have made greater use of energy-efficient lighting in new and renovated production facilities. The use of strip lighting and energy-efficient bulbs cuts electricity consumption by around 30 percent. The use of lighter colors for the interior design also helps. Spiral and turbo cooling machines have increased the efficiency of cooling systems by as much as 45 percent compared to 1985. As another way of saving electricity, we use efficient air compressors and optimize their deployment.

Many Bosch locations now cover more than 20 percent of their heating requirements through heat recovery. At our Reutlingen location (Germany), waste heat is recovered from wafer production, thus cutting down on the fuel required for heating. And exhaust-gas heat exchangers help utilize the condensation heat contained in the flue gas from the boilers. The resulting energy is fed into the heating circuit or air-conditioning systems. Altogether, the Reutlingen location saves around 2,200 metric tons of CO₂ a year.

At our Bonneville location (France), Bosch Rexroth engineers have developed a new process for cooling the 14 test benches in the test laboratory. Using well-water instead of power units for this purpose cuts the annual electricity consumption by 80 percent. What’s more, operating costs and CO₂ emissions have been reduced by more than 90 percent.

We have been able to improve the waste management system in our production operations through systematic waste separation and effective recycling. Our recycling rate rose from 79.9 percent to 80.6 percent in 2008. We have been successful at many of our locations with measures such as the distillation of solvents, the ultrafiltration of emulsions, and the use of ultra-fine filter technology for lubricants. The Curitiba location in Brazil has not produced any waste for disposal since 2007. Since 2000, all our locations in Brazil have been striving to fully recycle all waste as part of the “Zero Discharge” program.

The Bosch Production System (BPS) is responsible for the organization of logistics processes. Transparent and efficient processes are applied as corporate standards. This cuts unnecessary transport routes during the reorganization of logistics processes. In 2007, our Eisenach plant (Germany) put this system into practice when it introduced its new logistics center and new logistics concept. The plant opted for reusable container systems, a centralized packaging unit, and an integrated container concept. As the suppliers were integrated into the reorganization process at an early stage, nearly all of them converted their logistics systems to reusable packaging. The activities formed part of an Ökoprofit (ecological project for integrated environmental technology) project, organized by the district of Eisenach, in which the Bosch location was involved.