Role: {{ value }} Which best describes your role?

Your response helps us make our online experience better to provide content that is specific to your role.

Thank you. Your response helps us make our online experience better to provide content that is specific to your role.

Elevate factory in Spain: manufacturing in harmony with nature

Bridgestone awarded Elevate’s EPDM factory in Terrassa for its outstanding work towards minimizing its environmental impact

Over the last few years, Elevate EPDM factory in Terrassa, Spain, has been working hard on all matters sustainability. Following their ISO 14001:2015 certification in 2018, last August they received an award from the Bridgestone Group in recognition for their work to preserve biodiversity and minimize their carbon footprint.

A series of eco-activities are carried out every year at Terrassa to raise awareness and involve teammates on environmental issues. In 2016 and 2017, bird and bat nests were installed. These animals help control pests and also act as pollinators and as seed dispersers. In 2018, the area around the welding plant was converted into an orchard with fruits and vegetables to attract more pollinators. In 2019, a small garden of aromatic plants was added to further promote biodiversity and repel tiger mosquitoes in a natural way.

In addition to this, all electrical energy in the Terrassa factory comes from renewable sources (mostly wind and solar) and all their non-hazardous waste is zero landfill.

People involvement is key. "Specific environmental training is done regularly to both teammates and contractors", says David Pelejero, Technical and SHEQA Manager at Terrassa. "Sustainability is also included in our new hiring program," he adds. Employees are involved in other ways too. They help take care of the orchard and are allowed to collect the fruit and vegetables grown there. Earlier in 2019 they also participated in a survey to gather ideas to reduce the amount of packaging used in the factory.

The Terrassa factory carried out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its production process to assess the environmental impact of each stage of the products’ life, from the sourcing of raw materials through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair, maintenance, and disposal or recycling. They also issue an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which communicates transparent information about the environmental impact of the products they manufacture.