SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT
At Hypertherm Associates, we believe in the power of action. We take a long-range view and understand that our decisions today shape the world of tomorrow. As a result, we are steadfast in our commitment to science-based targets for reducing our carbon emissions, minimizing waste, and fostering a circular economy.
Science-based targets
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) provides the most rigorous and robust global framework for guiding organizations toward a future where global temperature increase is kept to 1.5 degrees Celsius or lower.
The emissions reduction targets provide a clear road map to a sustainable future and allow us to align our strategic goals with the global effort to mitigate climate change. By adhering to these targets, we will ensure our actions are grounded in scientific evidence, enabling us to reduce our fair share of carbon emissions.
In addition to our operations emissions, Hypertherm Associates also recognizes the impact of our products on the environment. Therefore, we are dedicated to reducing the carbon emissions associated with the use of our products. Partnership with our customers will be crucial to innovate and implement solutions that decrease carbon emissions.
Our goal is to offer products that not only meet the needs of our customers but also contribute positively to the environment. Our 2030 goal is to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the use of our products by 50%.
Waste reduction
Waste reduction is a critical aspect of our sustainability strategy. We have implemented numerous robust waste management systems over the past 12 years, resulting in a landfill rate reduction of 70% so far, despite significant growth in our operations.
We aim to drastically reduce our waste output, moving toward a future where waste is viewed not as an inevitable byproduct of operations, but as a resource that can be effectively managed and minimized. Waste reduction is critically connected to our circular economy goals, which aim to decouple the economy from the use of finite resources.
We are rethinking our business models to incorporate principles of the circular economy, focusing on resource efficiency, and promoting the reuse and recycling of materials. This allows us to create value while reducing our environmental impact. We have benchmarked ourselves and measured progress by completing the Circulytics Assessment, created by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Our latest score was a B-.
Attainment of our goals will require collaboration between stakeholders, including our suppliers, communities, vendors, customers and governments, as well as higher investments from these groups. In the early stages of our journey, we prioritized easy wins and projects with fast paybacks. We have now moved beyond these simple fixes to more complex, interconnected, systemic problems that need to be addressed.
At Hypertherm Associates, we are committed to playing our part in creating a sustainable future, and we invite our partners, customers and stakeholders to join us on this journey.
Robin Tindall is Hypertherm Associates’ environmental stewardship director. She has over 25 years’ experience in the environmental stewardship field, and guides Hypertherm toward our 2030 sustainability goals. She holds an environmental engineering degree and a master’s degree in business.
Sustainability Spotlight is produced monthly for NH Business Review by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility.
