Vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has reduced its carbon footprint by 15%, well ahead of the global group target of 20% by 2012.
This has been achieved over a three-year period, since 2006. The environmental implications of the savings in kilowatts of gas and electricity, translates to a reduction of 12 703 t of carbon dioxide.
MBSA’s East London manufacturing plant, in the Eastern Cape, has achieved the international target milestone though the use of energy-efficient lighting and solar water heating, the re-use of pre-conditioned air, the optimisation of process temperature parameters, insulation improvements, optimising plant operating and shutdown times, the implementation of energy-efficient equipment, and the optimisation of compressed air systems.