Since January 2022, all 6 Nitto manufacturing sites in the EMEA region are powered by 100% green electricity. "This is an important step in our sustainability journey in becoming a carbon neutral company by 2045," explains Sam Strijckmans, president & CEO of Nitto in EMEA region.

The manufacturing of high quality industrial adhesive tapes requires a considerable amount of energy. Nitto took the first step by installing solar panels in the two biggest manufacturing sites in Belgium and Turkey. However, the yield of these solar panels was high enough to cover the electricity need for the lights, computers, electrical appliances and air conditioning of the administration buildings but was not enough to supply the needed electricity for the manufacturing activities. Therefore, it was decided to switch from 'grey' electricity to green electricity coming from renewable energy sources. "Although the cost of green electricity is slightly higher than 'grey' electricity, it is Nitto EMEA's strong believe that we need to lower our carbon footprint. Switching to green electricity is a first step," continues Strijckmans.

Electricity is about 30% of our total energy need

Thanks to the switch to 100% green electricity, the company reached an important milestone. As of today, 30% of Nitto EMEA's total energy need is coming from renewable energy sources. However, the company also consumes a considerable volume of natural gas to generate heat for its manufacturing process. The use of natural gas is responsible for the other 70% of the energy need.

Switching from natural gas to biogas

Biogas is a renewable energy source produced by the breakdown of organic matter. Nitto Denko UK is the first site in EMEA region that switched from natural gas to 100% biogas. Nitto Belgium is currently investigating how to switch from natural gas to biogas. The challenge is the supply of biogas in Belgium. At this moment there is not a huge amount of biogas available. This will however increase in the coming years. "We foresee that Nitto Belgium can switch to 100% biogas by 2030. This will bring the total amount of renewable energy usage up to 75%," explains Strijckmans.

In the meantime, Nitto is actively searching for new techniques and processes to lower its energy need. Lowering one's energy demand is still the most effective approach towards a more sustainable future.