In the future, all products manufactured by Letbek A / S will be provided with a CO2 level. Customers will be informed of how much the specific product affects the climate just as they are being informed of the product price. Data is currently being collected for calculations on a large number of products manufactured at the production site in Tistrup.
In collaboration with the research platform MADE, Letbek has developed a unique calculation model based on carbon footprint screenings, which the fact-based knowledge about the climate impact of a product will be based upon . The current prototype model has been taken into use, and production data is now collected. The new model is incorporated into the company’s work to calculate and visualize how much a product actually affects the CO2 emission.
– We have worked with facts about the CO2 emission level in our products for a long time. Generally we want to have a more fact-based communication on climate, and we want more transparency for our customers and for consumers to know how much the final product has affected the climate, says Letbek CEO, Michael Bayer Thomsen.
How to calculate the CO2 impact
Data is currently being collected on products at eight different production lines. Among other things, power consumption on the extruder, cooling processes and other small manufacturing processes are being measured. It is a kind of screening of the CO2 emission of the production, where all sub-processes are taken into account, and must provide factual data for the calculation model. Ultimately, this will show the level of CO2 eq the product has emitted.
The calculation is based on a number of parameters in the product journey – from the impact of the raw material extraction, transportation from the supplier, waste materials at Letbek, packaging – and to the consumption on the production line itself.
The calculated figure shows how much the product CO2 has affected the climate until the day it leaves the Letbek factory. In addition to the data and detailed information from our own measurements, it also contains a number of other parameters, which are based on the information we receive from our suppliers as well as generic data from PlasticsEurope and Force Technology.
Implementation of the new tool
Even though the new prototype model is already in use, there is still a lot of work and a long journey ahead before the new CO2 calculation becomes an integrated part of Letbek.
– There is still a lot of work to be done to make this new initiative an integrated part of our production and sales work. From collecting data, making calculations and knowing the actual figures to making it one hundred procent automatically incorporated in the entire company and making it customer-oriented, will still take some time. But we are ambitious and we focus on this initiative to become the new normal here at Letbek.
CO2 SCREENING OF GROUND PROTECTION PLATES
One of the products on which Letbek has a pre-calculated CO2 screening is a ground protection plate, which is a standard product for the construction industry, in 100% recycled plastic.
CO2 calculation of the ground protection plate production in 100% recycled plastic shows that 17.24 kg CO2 eq is emitted per plate, whereas the emission when using new plastic would be 67.12 kg CO2 eq.
The calculation thus shows a reduction in emissions of 74% kg CO2 eq is achieved, when using recycled plastic.
Call for openness and more initiatives
The ambitious development project at Letbek is just one part of the company’s overall focus on influencing the climate debate and the encouraging other companies to follow suit and get started making calculations on facts about the product’s climate impact.
– We owe it to the next generation to take decisive steps in the right direction. Among other things, we can do this by initiating projects like this, that provide an actual base of knowledge. We must get more facts and establish a dialogue on this subject, for consumers to be able to make choices based on factual information, concludes Michael Bayer Thomsen.
