As part of one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world, MAHLE Aftermarket is also working intensively on the topics of climate and environmental protection. Not only for the sustainability balance of the Group, but also for our customers in dealerships and workshops around the globe.
MAHLE Aftermarket sources its quality products from MAHLE plants at 160 locations in 35 countries. Each of these worldwide locations manufactures according to German standards. With our range of products for the repair market, we are also integrated into the sustainability strategies and measures of the entire MAHLE Group. This means, for example, that since the end of 2021, all MAHLE products from our plants in Germany have been manufactured in a CO2-neutral manner. And of course, due to their premium quality, our products make a major contribution to greater efficiency and longevity in the installed vehicle.
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In addition, MAHLE also supports its workshop customers with its service equipment and services for even more climate-friendly work. For example, our ArcticPRO® air-conditioning service units feature E³ technology: ecological, economical, efficient. And thus have a function for automatic leak testing as well as special connection couplings that prevent refrigerants from escaping. This is because refrigerant escaping from air conditioning systems endangers the environment. In this way, the air-conditioning service units from MAHLE make a significant contribution to safe, economical, and ecological air-conditioning service in workshops.
But also in terms of recycled materials, MAHLE is meeting the key challenges of developing the business in the direction of a circular economy. We place a great deal of focus on the sustainable composition of our products in order to make them more recyclable as well. Some of our products already use recycled materials. We have also achieved quite a bit in waste prevention and resource conservation. For example, MAHLE Aftermarket saves around 31 tons of paper every year. This corresponds to around 6,200,000 A4 sheets. This is because instead of paper-based installation instructions, we provide the piston ring packaging with a QR code that allows the user to download the instructions. We also refrain from additionally wrapping packaging units on pallets with plastic film. This saves around 13 tons of film per year.
How innovative thinking and climate protection strengthen each other is demonstrated by MAHLE at the new headquarters of the Group subsidiary MAHLE Aftermarket Italy in Parma. In the global headquarters of MAHLE Service Solutions, which will be occupied in 2020, state-of-the-art technology ensures virtually zero emissions. It is the first energy-efficient and CO2-emission-neutral MAHLE plant with an A+++ energy rating. MAHLE is thus setting new standards in the areas of climate protection and sustainability. On an area of 15,000 square meters, the company is bringing together the three Service Solutions locations under one roof. Devices for the diagnosis and calibration of driver assistance systems as well as for the maintenance of air conditioning systems and transmissions are developed, produced, and sold here.
The building generates the electricity it needs for this itself. The photovoltaic system on the roof was expanded in 2022 and now makes the Service Solutions Center almost self-sufficient. And it does so even when production is running at full speed and additional heating or cooling is required. Other measures to optimize energy consumption include state-of-the-art materials and construction methods, LED lights with motion sensors, sophisticated components for air conditioning and heating. All of this is not only good for the climate, but is also reflected in the financial balance sheet: the costs for the upgraded photovoltaic system will have paid for themselves in just the eighth year of operation.
The MAHLE Aftermarket business unit sees itself as a driver in the direction of climate protection for the entire automotive industry. The company wants to fulfill this claim in order to show customers that MAHLE is at the forefront when it comes to leading the automotive and engine industry into the future.
Stay tuned for new articles and find out what other sustainability goals MAHLE Group has and just how it plans to achieve them.