Environment

17 YEARS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT REPORT – 2008-2025

Energy and raw materials consumption, waste generation.

Electric power consumption is one of the major factor impacting the environment for a Company that employs machine tools, including air conditioning and cooling of electrically powered machines.

Another factor related to energy consumption as fuel is related to winter heating.

Over the last seventeen years, FIRAD has been working on improving its environment performance through:

• Consumption monitoring, to assess and improve the highest-consuming areas
• Consumption reduction, where possible
• Implementation of technologies aimed to improve environmental performance and reducing environmental footprint

The actions that have been implemented are the following:

• In the light of the working and production systems innovation, replacement of the majority of the oldest machine tools with new and totally more efficient machines.
• Electric power supply from providers granting 100% renewable energy (since 2014).
• Elimination of the most critic fuels (at first fuel oil and gas oil since 2016) and total shift to methane.
• Replacement of fossil fuels heating system with a new highly-efficient heath pumps.
• Installation of a photovoltaic system on plant roof capable of producing 389 kW.
• Implementation of a policy to further reduce workplace airborne pollutants.

To be noted that despite the introduction of authomatic systems replacing manual work operations and the higher employ of conditioning systems (to improve the working environment conditions and the cooling of complex machinery).Specific electrical energy consumption (electrical energy bought against raw material consumed) over the years increased because of the implementation
of new machines to meet an increase of production demand. With installation of photovoltaic system this value settled down.

Despite the enlargement of the working environments, the energy consumption for heating purposes has decreased (approximately about 30% from 2008 to 2025).

Raw materials consumption and waste generation.

As far as raw materials consumption and waste production are concerned, the Company is committed in reducing the use of hazardous substances and the waste quantity and impact.

This commitment translates into:

• almost total elimination of water-oil emulsions use in machines tools manufacturing and shift towards whole oil use, which are more easily reaused within the working cycle and less problematic in the next recovering phases of the oil from the waste delivered to specialized companies.
• Complete replacement of aqueous emulsions wash with high boiling non-halogenated solvents wash employed in closed-circuit machines. In this way, the quantity of aqueous emulsions, containing surfactant and oils to be disposed, has been brought to zero. The solvents emissions in the atmosphere are minimal, thanks to the employ in closed-circuit machinery with solvent vapors condensing systems and active carbon final treatment.