Borealis realises ambitious energy targets by cutting 5,000 tons of CO2 emissions every five days with the help of DNV GL

Borealis, a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilisers, has implemented the international energy management standard ISO 50001, with the help of DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body. ISO 50001 certification, is the globally recognised energy management framework to help organisations manage and continually improve their energy performance, to reduce costs and emissions. The certification will help Borealis advance a proactive energy efficiency and climate change mitigation strategy in the value chain it serves with its solutions.

Borealis will be able to cut over 360,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. This is the equivalent of the greenhouse gas emissions of 80,000 cars driven for one year. By reducing the energy consumed by its operations, Borealis not only reduces emissions but also improves cost efficiency. These savings enable the company to invest in innovation and new projects to strengthen the entire energy network, which relies on plastic material.

Over the course of four years, DNV GL worked with Borealis to develop and implement an energy management system (EnMS), compliant with the ISO 50001 standard. DNV GL used its proprietary rating protocol that provides a quantitative insight into the performance of a company’s EnMS, and an understanding of procedures and practices to ensure the analysis and planning of energy use.

DNV GL assessed how Borealis’ sites were functioning in relation to its energy performance and pinpointed its strengths, weaknesses and focus points, and reviewed the existing company procedures and updated them where necessary. This work was initially carried out at a few sample locations to gain a better understanding of how the company operated. These findings were then reviewed and necessary changes implemented.

By engaging all stakeholders in an Energy Efficiency Engagement Tour (E³T) throughout Europe, DNV GL helped to strengthen Borealis’ energy culture, which increased awareness and encouraged all employees to reach the energy saving target of being 10% more energy efficient by 2020 compared to 2015.

Once the overall company ISO 50001 strategy was established, DNV GL supported eight regional locations as they put the company theory into practice. This started with a gap analysis and high-level screening of the existing management procedures and the development of an implementation plan, considering location-specific requirements and listing all the actions to be taken to reach the ISO 50001 certification.

The implementation support consisted of working with the energy teams to set up proper KPIs and follow-up on their energy consumption, communicating to all levels within the organisation, technical support establishing energy baselines and energy targets, and managerial support updating local procedures to be in line with ISO 50001 requirements. A pre-audit for each location was carried out, to identify any remaining gaps towards certification.

“Global warming is one of the most crucial challenges the world faces today. Borealis has therefore identified improving its energy efficiency and reducing emissions as a material issue and made it one of the three focus areas of our sustainability strategy. By working in partnership with DNV GL, we are well on track to realise our ambitious target of becoming 10% more energy efficient by 2020,” said Borealis EVP Operations & HSE Martijn van Koten.

Speaking about the project, Prajeev Rasiah, Vice President and Regional Manager for North Europe, Middle East & Africa at DNV GL – Energy said: “Achieving the ISO 50001 standard enables Borealis to meet their goal of becoming more energy efficient by continually reducing their energy use, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Our partnership and longstanding relationship with Borealis is testament to the substantial environmental and economic savings that can be realised through dedicated expertise and technical support.”

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