Climate change is a major challenge for our planet; it is caused by the steady accumulation of man-made greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO₂), in the Earth's atmosphere. That is why tackling climate change and being economical with energy, resources and materials are important issues of our time, and why both are firmly established in our corporate and sustainability strategies. Our focus is on reducing CO₂ emissions – for our customers and for ourselves.
When tracking emissions, we follow the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol for short), which is considered the most internationally recognised standard for tracking and accounting for greenhouse gas emissions. It categorises emissions into Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions), Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from procuring electricity and district heating) and Scope 3 emissions (other indirect emissions along the value chain).
Over the next few years, Festo will massively reduce its CO2 footprint. We have already made enormous progress in 2023 with regard to Scopes 1, 2 and 3.8: since 2024 – two years earlier than planned – the entire Festo Group has been CO2-compensated in Scope 1. Additionally, Festo plans to reduce Scope 1 emissions by around 30% by 2030 and be net-zero by 2040. In Scope 2 and 3.8, the Festo Group has been CO2 neutral since 2024.
We are also continuing to invest in energy efficiency measures and are expanding our photovoltaic (PV) systems. In 2023, PV systems were added at 20 additional sites. This has increased the total PV output at Festo by over 60 per cent and now amounts to 13.8 megawatts peak.
Festo calculates its Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) across all three scopes of the GHG Protocol. Four categories – 3.10, 3.13, 3.14 and 3.15 – were identified as irrelevant for the CO2 footprint of Festo. These categories were therefore not taken into account.
The results can be found in the table entitled Greenhouse gas emissions 2024 (in tCO2eq). The calculation shows a clear result: 99 per cent of emissions are caused in categories 3.1, 3.4 and 3.11. A detailed list can be found in our Sustainability Report.
The Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for 2023 are shown in the following two diagrams. The total energy demand and emissions for Scope 1 and 2 related to turnover can be seen in the figures below.
The selection of non-critical raw materials, the use of lightweight construction methods to limit the amount of material used and production in ISO 14001-certified plants contribute to resource conservation and a low carbon footprint.
Energy-saving products and solutions as well as training and services help our customers to save resources and energy, and can make an important contribution to climate protection. The high quality and long service life of our products reinforce this positive impact.
Selecting and using the "right" products is the key to high energy efficiency; examples can be found in our Sustainability Report as well as on our Sustainability in automation page.
Compressed air generation, the supply network and also the state of the components that consume compressed air have a major impact on energy consumption. By using our Energy Saving Services you will have a skilled partner at your side. You can also find more information on this in our Sustainability Report.
Optimised for our customers, the results of the Festo Energy Saving Service can be used via the New service portal .
Festo offers sets of wearing parts and consumables or the ability to repair many of its products. This can extend the product’s service life.
Our products that contain metal are highly recyclable; in addition, we are working on meeting the increased requirements for a future circular economy.
On the road to helping our customers create carbon-neutral factories, cross-company solutions for industry are needed that go far beyond our own product portfolio. As a component supplier, Festo can have the greatest impact on climate protection by reducing its Scope 3 emissions, specifically when customers use the products they buy. This requires specialists with the knowledge to optimise the entire pneumatic system.
Festo Energy Saving Services – a customised range of services in accordance with DIN EN ISO 11011 ("Compressed Air Energy Efficiency Audit") – are based on this comprehensive view. This identifies and best exploits the potential for compressed air savings at the customer’s premises, and thus also optimises their entire energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001.
Our customers learn how to use a newly purchased product safely and professionally through a variety of user manuals and descriptions. Notes on possible misuse as well as information on maintenance, cleaning, care and disposal help the user to avoid expensive and climate-damaging costs. This also extends the service life of the products. Various tutorials clearly explain how users can, for example, replace spare parts kits on their own.
Material savings and resource conservation play an important role, even in the early phases of product development. When selecting materials, our focus is on using materials that are as low in CO2 and as non-hazardous as possible. When recycling materials, it is important to ensure that they do not contain any impurities, both in order to protect human health and to make sure they can be turned into high-quality secondary raw materials. Other topics in this area of action are our contribution to a circular economy and the responsible procurement of raw materials.
Festo’s purchasing structure is characterised by the procurement of semi-finished products, components and finished products. Alongside plastic, aluminium is one of our most important materials. Since the environmental impact of remelted secondary aluminium is significantly lower than that of primary aluminium, we aim to use as much secondary aluminium as possible.
Product approval processes are described in internal guidelines. Festo must comply with the applicable law in order for its products to be considered safe. Different product safety regulations and laws are in place around the world that govern whether products can be placed on the market. This requires the appropriate approvals in the different regions.
In our Application Note (only available in English), you will find an overview of these questions and further information on material compliance issues that could affect products from Festo.
We have introduced environmental management systems at all existing production sites and have had them certified in accordance with ISO 14001. As part of this process, we are working on how we can make more efficient use of materials and supplies, reduce waste and use water sparingly. The latest reference data can be found in our Sustainability Report.
Our environmental compliance activities ensure that we establish safe processes. This allows us to identify errors as quickly as possible, rectify them and avoid them in the future. We continuously improve our environmental performance throughout our product lifecycles.
Festo has never committed any serious violations of environmental law. There may be short-term instances, which are not subject to sanctions, when wastewater or emission limits may be exceeded. Appropriate countermeasures are always taken. If required, we will always report any instances in which threshold values have been exceeded to the relevant authorities.