« Somfy decided to launch an eco-conception programme »
- How was the Act For Green® initiative born?
This initiative was born after an observation made according to a carbon balance conducted by Somfy in 2012. It has revealed that 86% of the enterprise greenhouse gas was linked to its own products. Those gas emissions mostly come from the products electrical consumption (64%) as well as their materials and components (22%). Concerned about its environmental footprint, and willing to reduce its products' impact, Somfy decided to launch an eco-conception programme: the Act For Green® label was born.
- How does this label work? What are its goals?
The Act For Green programme applies to every product range (motorization, remote controls, sensors,...). To benefit from the label, the brand's products have to meet several criteria: the optimization of the product lifespan, the eradication of noxious substances relying on REACH and ROHS, the prioritization of the recycled material and recyclable ones, the decrease of the consumption of the standby mode, the choice of more performant electronic component on an environmental scale and the existence of a PEP ECOPASSPORT®.
- What is the role played by the PEP ECOPASSPORT®?
In order to benefit from the Act For Green® label, an analysis of the product lifecycle has to be done prior, through a PEP ECOPASSPORT® environmental declaration. Those declarations allow Somfy to be totally transparent with its clients, thanks to the PEP well-known credibility, giving details on all the specificities and environmental information of the product.
- What are the future ambitions for Act For Green®?
According to the constant progression of the initiative, we expect to overcome the threshold of 50% of our products labeled Act For Green® by the end of 2018. On a larger scale, we hope to reach 80% by 2020. Driven by the desire to act in favor of the environment, we also have for ambition to spread this eco-responsible approach within our teams, so that it becomes a common value, supported by all employees. To do so, some eco-actions have been created: waste sorting, eco-mobility, use of renewable energy, communication on the Act For Green® ambition, … Those are some examples of daily actions which are beneficial for the environment and built into the work routine.