Electrolux leads locally

Electrolux

leads locally

Electrolux South Africa continues to deliver on its promise to reduce its environmental footprint by using renewable energy to power operations. Murray Crow, Managing Director at Electrolux SA, tells SA BUSINESS INTEGRATOR about Electrolux SA’s successful journey of shifting to sustainable and renewable energy solutions that powers an impressive 80% of operations during the day.

In 2020 Electrolux SA implemented an 112kW solar system and developed a 1MW solar energy system that went live in November 2021 at the Benoni factory, powering factory and warehouse operations. What is the driving force behind achieving these milestones?

At Electrolux our core purpose is to shape living for the better. There is no better way than creating a sustainable future for the generations to come. At COP26, countries pledged their plans to reduce their emissions to ensure a better future. We also need to do our part and plan to be carbon neutral in our operations globally by 2030. We strive not only to offer our customers sustainable products (including solar geysers), but to manufacture them in a sustainable way. Examples of this include: • 2020: 112kWp solar plant for offices which includes 308 solar panels. Cost at R1.4 million.

Saved 131 tons of CO2 so far by not using fossil fuel generated electricity. • 2021: 1 272kWp solar plant for the water heater factory which includes 2 892 solar panels. Cost at R16 million. Generated 420MWh just for

November 2021, which is equivalent to a saving of 115 tons of CO2 emissions. • 2021 to 2022: We have been audited to become ISO 50 001:2018 certified. We plan to obtain this energy management certification early next year. • 2022: An additional solar project to commence to offset the remainder of the electricity purchased during the day.

What were some of the major challenges and how were these overcome?

We spent some time during the design phase and reworked the solar layout a few times to achieve the most optimum panel layout while keeping in mind some constraints. We also had some delays during the metal industry strike in October 2021. We had to wait for key deliveries and had limited staff on site to aid the installation due to the safety constraints on the roads. Luckily the installers made alternative arrangements on weekends to ensure that we made our November deadline.

What were the highlights?

The biggest highlight was on 2 November 2021 when the project came together, months of hard work and planning all completed. We switched the solar system on and instantly generated 1.1MW of green energy. Further, earlier in 2021 (June), we were quite delighted when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced lifting the 1MW generation threshold to 100MW. We no longer had to limit our system and are able to plan future projects for 2022.

What are the benefits from an emissions and budget efficiency perspective?

We expect our renewable energy systems to cut our carbon emissions by at least 35% in our operations. If the local infrastructure is in place to export power, this number will increase to 55%. Exporting power will allow us to offset the fossil fuel power consumed during the night with green solar energy. From an investment perspective, the solar system helps with the rising electricity costs in the long run.

The newest solar system enables Electrolux to power 80% of its operations during the day. Is the remaining 20% via the grid – and if so, what are the future plans for this?

Yes, in 2022 we plan to address the remainder of electricity imported during the peak day time with solar energy. The exact system size is still being planned, but 400 kWp is what we are aiming for. It should be more than enough to cover us for a large part of the day.

Has the shift to alternative energy impacted production/manufacturing?

No, we have duly planned our switchovers to have minimal impact on our business.

Has the move to alternative energies enabled job creation?

In the broad spectrum, energy systems like these do create jobs. For example, we provided work to local contractors for structural upgrades and trenching.

The idea for the Electrolux Group is to achieve climate neutral operations by 2030 – how achievable is this from a South African perspective?

Eskom is creating a new renewable energy tariff for businesses that would like to purchase green energy at a price. We hope this tariff is introduced sooner than later which will greatly help with electricity consumed during night-time and bring us closer to our 2030 target. We do not consume a lot of water in our production processes, nor do we produce a lot of waste going to landfills.

Globally we aim to have all our plants certified in our Zero Landfill programme and have already started with it in South Africa. The aim of the programme is to reduce and totally eliminate all waste going to landfills. In 2021, we have found a way to re-use TPV plastic in our products.

Tell us a bit about the Electrolux Green Spirit programme.

The programme is a global initiative whereby Electrolux drives sustainability inside its organisation. Every year we aim to reduce our non-green energy footprint as well as our water consumption. Locally we have a cross-functional green spirit team that ensures we make our targets by finding creative ways to save water and energy. Furthermore, all Electrolux plants are measured against the programme, and we will always strive for improvement.

What are some of the key learnings for other South African companies?

1. Plan a larger system than what you actually need. Remember that everything degrades over time, and so does your solar generation. Ensure that your system will be able to deliver for your demand even 20 years down the line. 2. Plan your financial savings according to your actual electricity consumption. Sales proposals are sometimes based on the solar system output, which makes the system look quite attractive, but unrealistic.

What does the future of Electrolux SA look like?

We want to encourage other manufacturers to produce their products in a more sustainable way. In future, we might even require our suppliers to manufacture our raw materials more sustainably. We all live in this world together and have a responsibility to ensure a better future for the generations to come. 

Electrolux Group

Electrolux is a leading global appliance company offering high quality products including: refrigerators, freezers, ovens, cookers, hobs, hoods, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, air purifiers and water care products (domestic water heaters, Elon solar PV water heating, pressure control valves, commercial stainless steel, heat pumps, industrial water heaters, stainless steel sinks, commercial electric water heaters, instant boiling water dispensers, and spares and accessories.

Murray Crow, Managing Director at Electrolux

SA, was born in Johannesburg, and completed his undergraduate studies at the Witwatersrand Technikon and his MBA through Henley Business School.

He began his career in 1991 as a Sales Executive at Cadbury’s, Coleman Foods and CPC Tongaat Foods before moving on in 1998 to Whirlpool South Africa where he held several executive roles in marketing and sales resulting in his appointment as Managing Director. From 20082021 he was Managing Director at Home and Living Brands. Following this, he joined Electrolux SA as Managing Director in 2021.