Making low and medium voltage cables more sustainable

Decarbonization

• Renewable electricity: since 2023, all sites producing low and/or medium voltage cables are operating on 100% renewable electricity
• Switching to LED: our teams are laser focused on transitioning to LED lighting across all our factories and offices to allow significant energy savings
• Electrical forklifts: since the early 2020’s, we have initiated an internal program to replace all our diesel or LPG powered forklifts with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Mid-2024, we have already achieved a solid 80% of our target and are confident to reach 100% very soon
• Phasing out natural gas: We are moving away from natural gas in our low and medium voltage cable factories. We are, for example, installing heat pumps or waste heat recovery. We aim to be fully transitioned out of natural gas by 2030, stay tuned.

Circularity

1. Advance circularity in materials and material use.
   • PVC regranulation: In some of our factories we are re-granulating our own PVC scrap and putting it straight back into the production of some of our new power cables. It reduces the amount of waste that we’re sending out and contributes to achieving our target of 90% of our total waste being diverted to reuse or recycled by 2028.
2. No compromise on landfill and incineration.
   • Across our sites producing low and medium voltage cables, our teams are coordinating more than 20 waste handling partners. In 2023, we made a big push to get more transparency of the share of our waste directed to landfill, and at the same time launched our initiative to bring this share to zero. NKT aims to become the first leading cable manufacturer to reach landfill levels less than 1% and beyond towards zero.
3. Integrate the 5Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle) of waste management across NKT.

Packaging

• Drum take back program: NKT is proud of its corporate systems to return drums and pallets. The first drum take-back program has been running for more than 30 years. Today, pallet and drum return systems are in place in many markets with customized setups but with the same target of increasing returnability.
• Qaddy (R): It has been over a decade since NKT innovated to support it’s client by launching Qaddy, the integrated cable reel, unwinder and drum trolley. Qaddy has been part of a deposit/refund system from day one to ensure that all drums can be reused or recycled.
• Less stretch foil:
  • Reduce, on some of our sites, our team identified that the current need for foil could be decreased by nearly 50%.
  • Recycle: we found a new partner able to provide us with a stretch foil alternative incorporating 80% recycled content while still offering the robust resistance and elasticity that our client’s are used to.