Briefing! | Cummins Achieves Two Major Environmental Goals Ahead Of Schedule

Cummins previously set seven environmental sustainable development goals for 2020, and by June it had completed two projects ahead of schedule: reducing water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions per work through customer cooperation projects.            

But Cummins still has a lot of work to do: fully meet the 95% recovery rate, 32% reduction in energy consumption per hour, 10% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from internal cargo shipments, water and zero waste disposal sites, and so on.            

Brian C. Mormino, Executive Director of Environmental Strategies and Compliance at Cummins, said: "Although we have achieved effective results in reducing water resources and carbon dioxide emissions, we still need to work on waste disposal, water neutralization, energy and logistics. The goals we want to achieve will help Cummins grow up, and we are achieving them step by step.            

In 2018, Cummins installed a solar battery pack in the parking lot of the Juarez factory in Mexico, which has been running for a whole year. The manufacture and utilization of renewable energy is an important part of the company's energy goals.            

Achievements            

Cummins'greatest impact on the environment comes from the greenhouse gas (GHG) generated by its products in use. It is estimated that the use of fossil fuels accounts for 99% of Cummins GHG emissions.            

In 2018, Cummins Global Fuel Team completed 76 new product projects. Since 2014, Cummins has cooperated with its clients in nearly 300 emission reduction initiatives. Currently, Cummins has exceeded its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.5 million tons per year in 2020 and only 4.3 million tons in 2018.            

Cummins also achieved the goal of water intensity (water consumption per working hour) by 2020, which is 50% lower than that in 2010. Management believes that this is only a starting point, and on the premise of achieving emission reduction targets, how to continue to expand and balance product production and maintain company performance is the ultimate goal.            

Cummins used 950 million gallons (3.6 million kL) of water in 2018, 14 million gallons less than in 2017. Between 2010 and 2018, direct water consumption declined by 16% compared with 2010, despite the growing size of the company.            "      

Cummins'water and target work is also under way, but has not yet been fully achieved. In 2020, the company plans to achieve water neutralization in 15 production bases. At present, eight of them have reached the goal of offsetting their water consumption by saving water in communities or providing new water sources.            

Next task            

Cummins is approaching the 2020 energy target of reducing energy intensity by 32% compared with 2010. This is Cummins'third energy target since 2006, and many "early win" projects have been completed.            

To achieve its energy goals, the company has formulated an active investment and action plan by 2020: Cummins invested $15 million in 140 energy efficiency and solar photovoltaic projects in 2018.            "            

By the end of this year, Cummins'energy intensity will be reduced by 29%. Compared with the same period from 2010 to 2018, the company strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy.            

Cummins has also made significant progress in encouraging the use of renewable energy, signing a virtual power purchase agreement to help expand a wind farm in Indiana. The plan will allow the company to deliver roughly the same amount of electricity to the grid this year as it consumes at its headquarters in Indiana.            

In terms of recovery, Cummins achieved 90% in 2018 for the second consecutive year, slightly below the company's 95% target. Waste recovery has been flat due to regulatory barriers to wastewater treatment in India and other regions, as well as the lack of waste treatment suppliers in parts of Africa.            

In addition, Cummins has been reducing packaging waste, increasing the use of recyclable and reusable packaging, thereby reducing the recycling of materials.            

Finally, in terms of logistics, with the replacement of third-party logistics suppliers, the team redesigned the baseline data to achieve a 10% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of cargo in transport.            

In early 2019, the company's logistics team began to collect more and more detailed data from new suppliers, and launched a Six Sigma project to better analyze and understand these data, and smoothly promote the progress of carbon dioxide emission reduction throughout the year.            

The team also hopes to improve transportation plans to maximize cargo load, reduce truck mileage and minimize driving distance.       

Looking ahead           

In the second half of 2019, Cummins will announce the next generation of environmental sustainable development plan, which is also part of Cummins'100th anniversary plan, while the company is still working to achieve its 2020 target. The next generation of environmental sustainable development plans will focus on 2050 and set quantifiable targets for 2030.