Environment

Closely measuring our environmental impact and steadily becoming more sustainable

In an era of climate emergency, doing our part to benefit our environment's well-being and protect all our resources is a must At EOS, our position as a leader in the additive manufacturing (AM) industry enables us to pursue sustainability within our organization's operations, in product development — as a value add for our customers — and to benefit the communities we live and work in.

Our Environmental Management System is not only an integral part of our operations but is also certified to the highest international standard — the DIN EN ISO 14001. This certification reflects our dedication to preserving the environment, minimizing our environmental impact, continuously improving our processes, and advancing our sustainable practices.

Our Carbon Footprint

We're currently calculating EOS’ Company Carbon Footprint (CCF) based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol standard. This is the starting point from which we will define our Science-based Target (SBT) for 2033: concrete carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reduction benchmarks that we can realistically implement at EOS. Definitive insight into our corporate carbon footprint will also help us create real transparency for our stakeholders and customers.

Presently, we’re working on a worldwide carbon accounting & controlling system, which is to be embedded within EOS operations. We plan to increase our contribution to climate protection to a scientific level and in so doing to take consistent consideration of the various factors along the value chain. 

For corporate sustainability reporting, we have traditionally followed the GRI standards, but are transitioning into the use of the European Sustainability Standard (ESRS), based on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Responsible Energy Use Projects

Various in-progress and planned projects showcase our dedication to our responsible use of resources across the EOS global community:

• At our German headquarters in Krailling, 84% of our thermal energy is generated from renewable sources: specifically, waste heat from our plant equipment obtained using cutting-edge recovery processes. That means less than a fifth of our heat energy is externally procured.

• We also provide free charging stations for employees' electric vehicles at the Krailling and our production facility in Maisach, and are conducting a feasibility study to determine how to best implement our own photovoltaic system.

• We've installed solar panels at our ALM polymer materials production facility in Temple, Texas.

• The electricity we purchase is from 100% renewable sources.

• We cooperate with Recycle It GmbH to recondition our used IT and mobile equipment for reuse.  

Greater Transparency through Life Cycle Assessments

We commissioned the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics (EMI) to carry out life cycle assessments (LCAs) on the environmental impact of our products. This includes all the environmental impacts associated with a product’s production, use and disposal. Assessment categories include water consumption, water pollution, toxicity, harmful effects on humans and ozone-depleting effects. LCA studies are conducted in accordance with ISO standards 14040:2009 and 14044:2009, and we trained many of our global employees to become LCA practitioners to conduct more LCAs in-house.

Material Efficiency and Strategic Reuse

At EOS, we use raw materials sparingly, rely on recycling whenever feasible and develop internal recycling concepts for our material waste. We've also worked with local companies for years to ensure responsible waste disposal.

In Europe, we set up a return cycle to accept disused EOS machines from our customers. Our Sustainability Services department processes the returned 3D printing systems to make them suitable for reuse.

Meanwhile, our powder cycle programs enable our customers in the DACH region as well as globally to return their used powder. While the powder may no longer be suitable for 3D printing, the resulting raw material still has value for other products and applications. Interested?

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