Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel has completed the installation of 13,000 square metres of photovoltaic panels on the roof of its Nantong factory. With renewable energy, Freudenberg plans to support sustainability. Other green initiatives at the factory include innovations that increase energy savings, mitigate emissions, and reduce waste.

Freudenberg is dedicated to sustainability and has integrated sustainable development into its business activities at all levels. By 2025, Freudenberg is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 25 per cent. To meet this ambitious goal, the group’s new factory in the Nantong economic and technological development area has been designed with sustainable practice at its core, the company said in a press release.

With a total capacity of 1.6 MW, the new rooftop installation is projected to produce 1.5 million kWh of green electricity each year. In addition to reduced energy consumption from the grid, this new installation will lower CO2 emissions by approximately 1,200 tons/year. Beyond the photovoltaic installation, Freudenberg has integrated sustainability into the Nantong factory’s design, with advances in energy conservation and emissions and loss reduction.

The factory uses valley voltage to cool water in its reservoir that is applied to A/C and machine temperature management during working hours. The new waste gas treatment technology enables hot water collected by heat exchangers to be directly reused in production, thereby reducing thermal energy waste. Furthermore, the factory applies a new multi-phase waste gas treatment technology to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions. The factory has also incorporated new methods to improve the A-grade rates of bi-elastic interlinings and shirt interlinings, further reducing waste while improving garment quality.

As part of the group’s sustainable development strategy, Freudenberg Apparel has also launched its House of Sustainability to minimise the impact of production processes on the environment and help customers achieve their sustainability goals, with responsible products across the seasons. Offering over 500 sustainable solutions with innovative materials and processes, Freudenberg is leading the apparel industry towards greater environmental stewardship. 

Freudenberg will continue to serve as a responsible company for customers and society. This new factory not only meets Freudenberg’s highest standards across production, innovation and sustainability, but also follows the group’s sustainable development strategy to minimise its environmental footprint from production, providing customers with excellent, responsibly-made products and solutions.

“At Freudenberg, we are deeply committed to advancing sustainable initiatives and leading the development of the apparel industry. The completion of our rooftop photovoltaic project means we can leverage our space to generate electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through a range of innovative measures in the factory, we are able to meaningfully reduce energy and water usage while improving overall efficiency and delivering ultimate performance from sustainably-produced products,” Jonathan Oh, senior vice president & general manager of Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel, said.