FONTANA GRUPPO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
With the aim of engaging governments, businesses, and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue, every year, on 5 June, the United Nations celebrates World Environment Day. Fontana Gruppo takes this occasion to reflect on the impact of its business activities on the environment and to think about what the Group can display for improvement.
ENVIRONMENT BY FONTANA GRUPPO IN EMEA
To guarantee the respect of the environment, Fontana Gruppo focuses its attention on plant monitoring and sustainability, and dedicated teams carry out periodic audits and checks.
The reduction of environmental impact concentrates on projects for air treatment, separate waste collection, reduction of water consumption, and energy resources. At the Lobo plant near Milan, renewable geothermal and solar energy sources are utilized to carry out activities. At Fontana Luigi (Veduggio, Italy), Lobo and IBS plant (Italy), refrigeration is used for the production environment. There is a project for the creation of a treatment system for all industrial waste in IBS plants.
The Group obtained an environmental management system compliant with the UNI EN ISO 14001: 2015 international standard, issued by independent third-party certification.
ENVIRONMENT BY FONTANA GRUPPO IN LATAM
The most significant change in the environmental issues in South America Fontana Gruppo plants and offices comes through dialogues, meetings, and information broadcast daily to employees during their activities. Today everyone is aware of the importance of preserving the environment and how they can contribute to having production with less environmental impact. That is why, over the years, the team of the Latin America region have shown much actions, like the selective collection of solid, liquid waste and monitoring of the exact destination of trash, the containment of mineral oil spills in machinery, equipment, and tanks. At Brazilian plants, there is an exhaust system in the presses with electrostatic filters to retain mineral oil mist; the treatment of effluents generated in the cleaning of screws, nuts, machine parts and floor cleaning with control parameters for effluent disposal in the public network. The environmental management programs’ subsequent goals are reduction in water consumption and waste generation, increasing mineral oil recycling capacity, as well as reliable waste recycling. The key factor? Mindset change at all levels of the organization. Latin American facilities obtained ISO 14001:2015 certification and licenses according to environmental legislation.
ENVIRONMENT BY FONTANA GRUPPO IN APAC
To protect the environment, 390 people working for BG Fastening and Engineering Industries Private Limited, a Fontana Gruppo company located at Aurangabad (India), are working to reduce soil contamination. All sewage water is treated at the STP plant (certified for ISO 14001:2015), and all water treated for gardening: plant open land is covered with gardens and trees, planted every year and ducks and rabbits are at kept in the garden area! Primary packaging polythene bags are used of 130 microns, and returnable plastic bins are used and the usage of corrugated and wooden boxes is avoided. The team initiated paperless working.
ENVIRONMENT BY FONTANA GRUPPO IN NORTH AMERICA
At Fontana Americas Inc., environmental stewardship is a core value. The Acument Global Technologies and Fontana Fasteners operations in North America have well established Environmental Management Systems and are certified under the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management International Standard. In 2019, the company recycled over 67,000 gallons of oil, completed the installation of LED lighting throughout the Distribution Center, both internally and externally: this generated energy consumption savings estimated at $225,000 over five years. Other activities considered: air leak reduction project at 20 secondary machines – savings lost compressed air; the installation of electrical switches in specific locations to reduce electrical usage when production is not running; oil reclamation project; fugitive Smoke Reduction by installing a scrap hood on a bolt maker; upgrades to compressed air controls, which reduced unnecessary compressed air losses.
And for the future? In 2020, the North America companies of Fontana Gruppo defined two principals’ environmental objectives which are measured against Key Results: to have outstanding Indoor Air Quality and reduce the environmental impact (increase gallons of oil recycled and less electricity).