Camfil's CEO talks sustainability 2021

Camfil's CEO talks sustainability 2021

Created Tuesday, May 3, 2022

MARK SIMMONS, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CAMFIL

Since more than half a century – sustainability is not just something we do, it is who we are.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON 2021?

We live in challenging times. The global pandemic these past two years has been tough on the world on so many levels. Our top priority has of course been and will always be to protect our employees as well as our customers and suppliers. To help safeguard their health and well-beingis the only sound and sustainable thing we can do We are also in a climate crisis. Camfil, and other commercial enterprises, have a great responsibility to contribute all that we can for a more sustainable planet. We don’t wait for someone else to go first and do the right thing. We are happy to be at the forefront when it comes to sustainability in our industry.

ANY WORK IN THE FOREFRONT YOU WANT TO MENTION?

We are doing some very exciting sustainability work via Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Thanks to the EPD standard we can compare the environmental performance of our products over their life cycles and calculate their environmental impact. The EPDs indicate climate-affecting emissions,acidification, impact on the ozone layer and more, as well as resource consumption.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MAJOR BUSINESS CHALLENGES AND HIGHLIGHTS IN 2021?

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to bring some uncertainty to Camfil’s operations in 2021. Our four business areas were impacted in different ways and we had some extra tough challenges in the supply chain. Increased prices for inputs and transport had a negative impact in the wake of the pandemic. Despite these disturbances, our sales growth was strong. On the whole, the company adapted well to the new circumstances and we were able to meet an even higher demand for certain products.In order to maintain and expand our production capacity, we kept up our high pace of investment in buildings and production equipment.

CAMFIL INVESTS HEAVILY IN R&D, WHY IS THAT?

We see an increased awareness around the importance of clean, healthy and sustainable indoor air. This has been even more evident during the pandemic when the removal of harmful pathogens has been high on the agenda all over the world.The global demand for highly effective and sustainable air filters – protecting people and offering less environmental impact – is steadily increasing.

We don’t wait for someone else to go first and do the right thing.
Mark-Simmons_Camfil-111klar.jpg

Among other things, we meet this demand by investing heavily in Camfil’s research and development capabilities. We have six R&D centers worldwide and our flagship facility is the Tech Center in Trosa, Sweden. We have been expanding the Tech Center, both in square meters and in terms of what research we are able to perform there. The new extension, which almost doubles the size of the premises, is for test and learning methods. It is also for machine upgrades and process development, including research on and development of raw materials so we can continue deliver products with even higher performance.

WHAT ABOUT EMPLOYEE AND PARTNER SUSTAINABILITY?

In 2021, we implemented a new Code of Conduct for our employees. A guide for the daily work here at Camfil. The purpose is to promote a sustainable work environment where people thrive and are productive. We are a family-owned business with 5 200 highly valued “family members”, who I all wish will have a long and prosperous Camfil career. We also implemented a new Code of Conduct for our Business Partners.It requires them to sign-off on our Code of Conduct if they want to keep working with us. This means that they commit to do business in a manner that is fair, reliable and transparent, and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and binding voluntary commitments.

ANY SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES YOU WANT TO MENTION?

We had so many great sustainability projects and initiatives last year and I can’t mention them all. So, these are just a few that come to mind. We started up more sustainable local production at a new air filtration facility in Taiwan – where waste has been reduced thanks to a manufacturing process that promotes reuse and recycling of filter components.

To raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of indoor air quality, we launched a new podcast series, Let’s Talk Clean Air.

In 2021, our Swedish factory took successful actions to reduce emissions from transports of materials to the facility. They worked with two of their largest inbound raw materials suppliers in shifting the suppliers’ transports from road to rail. This generated savings in CO2 emissions of upwards of 120,000 kilos annually. Camfil Italy donated City M air purifiers – with H14 filters and activated carbon filters – to a cultural center in the city of Cinisello Balsamo to help ensure a safe reopening for visitors after the Italian Covid-19 lockdown.We also celebrated our CSR commitment through our annual and global CamfilCairing week – during which we have sustainability activities that inspire and educate ourselves as well as assist our local communities with indoor air quality.

HOW CAN SOMEONE LEARN MORE ABOUT CAMFIL’S SUSTAINABILITY WORK?

You are always welcome to contact one of our local offices. Our very competent staff all over the world are more than happy to to share our knowledge and insights. Another way is of course to keep reading our Sustainability Report and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. All our communications convey our deep commitment to sustainability in all parts of our operations. It’s like we say: Since more than half a century – sustainability is not just something we do, it is who we are.

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