Other Measures
Cartons
“Less is Better”
We are introducing a new stacking method for all our customers in order to reduce the use of cartons. One layer of cardboard, one layer of glass bottles, stacked to a standard height and then wrapped in plastic film. In this way, we have succeeded in reducing the use of paper by 80 percent. At the same time, we are also committed to using 10 percent post-consumer paper cartons by 2023.
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Shipping
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“A greener way to ship glass”
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In order to reduce this carbon footprint, Zhenhua has decided not to use any third-party finishing plants and to reserve more space for finishing in the third phase of the Gaoya (Suzhou) building. Furthermore, Zhenhua has decided to purchase two electric trucks (or hydrogen trucks) to handle 60 percent of the plant's domestic transportation in 2025.
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Third-party monitoring and evaluation
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Once we have measured the company's sustainability performance and identified a set of goals, we work to create the conditions to achieve them. Then, we have to set a higher and higher bar to continue to progress. after we delivered, and then set more aggressive goals. It's a feedback loop in which CDP plays an important role because it's a quantitative, objective measure of how we're doing.
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Future Direction
A green economy must be the ultimate goal - with renewable energy as the main player. Although we are now using solar power for 35 percent of our electricity, the cost of electricity storage is a big issue, (lithium, and nickel prices are insanely high) causing us to not be able to use the accumulated solar energy at night. Zhenhua is also planning to build a pure electric furnace, and more work needs to be done in order to achieve a full transformation.
For instance, we are working with Panasonic Air Conditioning to try to use the waste heat from the furnace and flue to provide heat for a lithium bromide refrigeration unit.
We can't be quantitatively certain about the next three decades, but trust us, carbon intensity will continue to decline in our current operations, and we will use more energy from renewable sources in our production processes.