Ian Sheppard, Managing Director of Metal Recycling at EMR 
In 2020, EMR set a target to become a net-zero metal recycler by 2040, backed up by some of the world’s leading climate scientists.
To make this happen, EMR’s CEO, Chris Sheppard, launched ‘Our Decade of Action’, a roadmap for the first decade which will see EMR focus its efforts on four clear net-zero aligned goals. These include switching to 100 percent renewable power, investing in electric vehicles and low carbon material handling equipment, as well as driving an improvement in energy productivity across the business.
It is now two years since that commitment was made and two years since our teams began the important job of decarbonising our business.
In every department, and at every site within the EMR family, the impact of the strategy has been profound. Whether it’s the arrival of innovative low-carbon technologies or working practices that reduce our energy consumption, I’m proud to say that EMR is already a more sustainable business than it was two years ago.
So, what progress has been made?
One of the most dramatic success stories of ‘Our Decade of Action’ has been the uptake of renewable power across our UK sites. In 2019, EMR used 0 percent renewable electricity in the UK but, just two years later, this had risen to 86 percent, with this rate rising week by week.
In the US, EMR has also started this transition, with the first renewable electricity purchased for our site in Becker, Minnesota.
And in Europe large solar panels have been installed at our site in Duisburg, Germany; with plans for more sites to generate their own power currently under consideration.
When it comes to the second target, ‘EV100 Movement of People,’ EMR has two clear ambitions: to use 100 percent EV cars and light commercial vehicles, and for half of the HGVs in our fleet to also be powered by electricity or another low carbon equivalent by 2030. So far, EMR has implemented stimulus programmes to encourage employees in the UK and the Netherlands to transition to cleaner vehicles. Around 70% of our UK and Netherlands colleagues are now eligible to apply for EMR’s electric car lease scheme. While there is still much work to be done, 31 percent of company cars in the UK were fully electric by the end of last year.
Decarbonising ‘Material Handling and Movement’ – our third target – is particularly challenging due to the energy required to transfer and process recycled metals. EMR’s 2030 goal is for 20 percent of new equipment to be powered with either electricity, hydrogen, fuel cells or bio-fuel by 2030. This has seen EMR converting mobile diesel-powered material handlers used in our recycling yards to fixed electric machines. A number of electric handlers have been installed in the UK and Europe, a process set to continue across the UK, US and Europe. We have also purchased a large number of electric-powered forklift trucks.
In the UK high efficiency electric motor controls have been installed on one of EMR’s biggest shredders and a second is on order, reducing the inefficient, spiking demand for power that this technology has traditionally created.
The final area of focus for the ‘Our Decade of Action’ strategy is Energy Productivity. Here, EMR is continuing its journey towards implementing Energy Management Systems (EnMS) at all of its sites by the end of the decade. So far, this has seen EnMS implemented at both Liverpool and East Tilbury shredders, while energy management audits have been performed at eight other UK sites. Taken together these audits represent 68 percent of EMR’s total energy consumption in the UK.
And to ensure teams have access to accurate and up-to-date data, energy consumption meters have also been installed at 19 shears and balers across the UK. EMR is now well placed to roll out EnMS, energy consumption metering and telematics on all large processing equipment – including shredders, shears and balers – by 2030.
EMR teams are also busy analysing the energy efficiency of all our processes and equipment in order to meet ‘Our Decade of Action’ target of 10 percent less energy per tonne of material handled or produced.
In addition to our efforts in these four areas, EMR is investing in measures to safeguard biodiversity, improve environmental education in schools and develop local talent for the skilled, low carbon jobs of the future.
The speed and breadth of our progress on this journey – and the strength of the ambition throughout the business to do more – highlights the value of the ‘Our Decade of Action’ strategy and the sustainability goals which underpin it.
And you can rest assured, we’re just getting started.
