Inés Rodríguez (Gestamp): “We calculate the carbon footprint from the extraction of the raw material to the delivery of the product from any Gestamp centre”

Within the framework of the IZB 2024 edition, last October, Inés Rodríguez Pariza, Circular Economy and LCA Expert at Gestamp, gave an interview to AutoRevista in which she detailed the keys to the implementation of the ESG strategy at Gestamp.

AutoRevista.- How is the ESG Area articulated at Gestamp?

Inés Rodríguez Pariza.- Gestamp’s ESG department has entered a key moment with a new strategy adapted to the needs of the sector. Since the incorporation of Ernesto Barceló as Chief ESG Officer, decarbonisation and the circular economy have been focused on as a strategic pillar, always in close collaboration with the factories and other strategic departments of the company. There is a second aspect of reporting that responds to the regulation through analysts and a third part of collection and management of sustainability data from different areas of the company.

AR.- What are Gestamp's main lines of action in terms of circular economy?

I.R.P.- The main line of action has been the incorporation of Gescrap into our value chain. Gescrap is a company specialised in waste management, including the steel scrap produced at our plants, which at Gestamp we call secondary raw material as it can be reused in steel production. This is a very relevant model in terms of the reintroduction of this type of material into the value chain. The materials are decarbonised in two ways. On the one hand, by increasing the content of recycled material through the reintroduction of steel and aluminium scrap to avoid the extraction of raw materials, and, on the other hand, by decarbonising manufacturing processes using renewable energy sources and technologies that enable their use, such as electric furnaces or new production technologies.

Gescrap is a company specialised in the management of waste, including the Steel scrap produced in our plants, which at Gestamp we call secondary raw material as it can be reused in the production of steel

On the other hand, in the field of R&D, we are working on the reuse of our production assets by adapting them to new technologies and products. The circular economy covers a wide spectrum in industry, including machinery, which must also be aligned with this approach to circularise the entire process.

AR.- What are Gestamp's demands to its suppliers when it comes to developing more sustainable materials such as fossil-free steels?

I.R.P.- In this sense, we are a key player in the value chain between our suppliers and customers. Our main action is to homologate new materials with high recycled content in our production processes, such as hot stamping, to ensure safety, quality and compliance with the same characteristics as conventional materials. We do this through agreements with suppliers and through our 13 R&D centres.

AR.- What is the trend towards fossil-free steels?

I.R.P.- We have signed agreements with various suppliers offering low-emission materials in order to be able to articulate future demand for a raw material that accounts for almost 90% of our emissions. This is a further way of contributing to our decarbonisation strategy through the use and approval of low-emission steels.

AR.- How is Gestamp contributing value to the Catena X project and what does participation in this entity contribute to Gestamp from the sustainability and technological points of view?

I.R.P.- Catena X is a large, collaborative global ecosystem involving numerous automotive manufacturers and suppliers that fosters the secure and reliable exchange of information between different actors. It provides visibility and knowledge along the entire value chain of the automotive industry using an open and collaborative data space. Through the working groups, at Gestamp, we contribute our experience in circular economy, with a view to developing standards that allow us to develop an intelligent and automated traceability of data throughout the entire chain, as well as the creation of methodologies with a more homogeneous vision for the calculation of the carbon footprint throughout the production chain. This initiative promotes the exchange of information, experiences and good practices from a multidisciplinary approach in different areas, including sustainability.

AR.- In which areas are efforts being intensified to reduce the carbon footprint in manufacturing processes and also in eco-design?

I.R.P.- A large part of our carbon footprint comes from the materials we work with and one of the main challenges lies in facilitating this transition towards decarbonisation. Another major driver we are working on in the ESG department is the decarbonisation of our own production processes. To this end, we have a long-term neutrality plan, with intermediate targets. For example, by 2030, we want to be Scope 2 neutral through the use of renewable electricity, articulated through PPA agreements, renewable energy certificates and the installation of solar panels..... In this regard, we draw up ad hoc plans to guarantee a supply of electricity from renewable energy sources in the different regions and countries in which we are present, prioritising those with the highest emissions. In addition, we have a long-term plan for the decarbonisation of our production processes, which involves changing production assets such as the electrification of hot stamping furnaces.

The calculation tool gives us a cross-sectional view of the company and the production process, as well as the logistics and the impact of raw materials, allowing us to make decisions from the initial phase of product design

We apply all these global decarbonisation approaches to emissions management at the product level. Based on the Catena X standard for product carbon footprint calculation (Catena-X Product Carbon Footprint Rulebook), we have developed an internal calculation tool that gathers various sources of information; data from Sphera for the calculation of emissions, data from our production processes, data from our suppliers, etc. In this way, we have built our own database that allows us to analyse processes and products in detail by type and location. We consider that we have reached an optimum level of accuracy in footprint calculation compared to other studies carried out by external specialists. We have a very transversal view of the company and the production process, as well as the logistics and the impact of raw materials, which allows us to make decisions from the initial phase of product design. The calculation goes from the extraction of the material until the product is delivered from any Gestamp centre.

Lea esta entrevista en castellano

Entrevista publicada en AutoRevista 2.397