Enormous potential for sustainable production in manufacturing

EVVA uses large quantities of materials, particularly brass, nickel silver, cardboard, oils, emulsions, key blanks, etc. for the production of lock cylinders and keys. The potential for recycling and resource conservation is correspondingly diverse – and so are the positive impacts on the environment, people, and the economy. Sustainable material management has therefore been defined as an essential theme for EVVA in the stakeholder dialogue. EVVA regularly informs stakeholders about the company’s sustainability goals and milestones (e.g., via newsletters, employee and partner magazines, events, etc.). The topic has:

• Ecological impacts: EVVA relies heavily on recycling to reuse materials as effectively as possible. Our metal chips, which are generated during production, are recycled 100%. EVVA aims to recycle 75% of all material use by 2024 (more under Recycling Materials). Thanks to improved production processes and lean management, we have been able to drastically reduce waste in key production in recent years (more under Waste).
  
  In its environmental policy, EVVA has defined clear guidelines for itself
  > Use resources and energy sparingly
  > Avoid emissions and waste as far as possible
  > View waste as valuable resources
  > Increase environmental awareness through information and dialogue with all employees
   
• Social/political impacts: Brass has a very low lead content, which simplifies machining (including production processes such as turning, drilling, or milling). “It is worth questioning a complete ban on lead in the door area for health reasons, as the proportions are minimal. But in the interest of sustainability, we are also researching alternative materials that still allow fast cycle times, high durability, and clean production,” explains Johann Notbauer, Group Manager for Market Innovation and Technology at EVVA.
   
• Economic impacts: Due to the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and global shortages, the cost of materials has increased significantly. For example, the price of copper (an important processing material for brass cylinders) has more than doubled. The more efficient the use of materials and the higher the recycling rate at EVVA, the lower the purchase costs. Our company was one of the last in the industry to introduce material surcharge increases due to the sharp increase in purchase costs, which were also comparatively moderate. This has been appreciated by many partners and customers. EVVA closely analyses market price developments to take advantage of favourable purchase times.

Input-Output Analyses

The measured data given in the following analyses have been published in EVVA’s environmental reports and in the energy audit. They have been externally verified and confirmed by authorities (e.g., Environmental Magistrate, Waste Magistrate, Trade Authority, representatives of the Chamber of Labour and Chamber of Commerce) and sustainability consultants.

All input-output analyses for the years 2015 to 2021 (2022 will be available for the next update of the sustainability report) with the most important materials used by EVVA for the production of access systems can be found in the following PDFs. Of these, wood, cardboard, paper, and packaging are renewable materials. We also include brass and nickel silver, as all metal chips generated during processing are recycled in full (see Recycling Materials). 

Input/output analyses (in German): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

The most important materials for EVVA

Material usage

Brass is our main material for production. The brass content of the total metal demand is about 80%. The demand for brass at the headquarters has increased by 10% from 2015 to 2019 to 1.6 million kg. In 2020, demand decreased due to the economic pandemic restrictions. This trend continued in 2021 - not due to the pandemic -, but due to the increasing demand for electronic EVVA access control solutions. The share of our electronic solutions has increased by 25% compared to our purely mechanical solutions from 2020 to 2021, resulting in a reduction in brass demand of around 50,000 kg. The share of electronic components has increased by 25% to 77,405 kg in the same period.

In 2021, EVVA was unable to further reduce waste per kg of output but was able to maintain the value of 2020 despite higher production output (see Waste). The demand for oil decreased further due to the increased use of clean production machines: from 6.8 tons in 2019 to 6.2 tons in 2020 and 5.7 tons in 2021.
 

Overview of measures

To reduce our material usage or use it more efficiently, we rely on various strategies and measures. Follow the links for more interesting details:

• Clean Production which greatly reduces the demand for oils, emulsions, and water
   
• High recycling rates for materials and water
   
• Innovations such as Low Power Design and modular cylinders
   
• Digitalisation projects
   
• Waste reduction measures
   
• Own photovoltaic system to reduce demand and transport of fossil fuels