Environmental Responsibility
Environmental Responsibility
Efficient use of resources and reducing our impact on the environment are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to high standards of environmental stewardship and to developing sustainably-responsible products. From eco-design, life-cycle assessments, recycling raw materials and reducing our own emissions to ensuring that our customers can recycle spent batteries, we are investing in our sustainable future.
A great example is Saft's revolutionary, lithium-ion rechargeable technology. Not only does it offer improved performance, extending the lifetime of industrial batteries, but it significantly cuts their environmental impact.
Clean energy
- Our batteries are zero CO2 energy-storage devices
- Li-ion technology provides innovative and sustainable energy
Sustainable design
- Advanced batteries tailored to customer needs increase our customers’ energy efficiency
- Our batteries are designed to be recycled as easily as possible, without compromising performance
Circular economy
- Our take-back network (Bring Back Points) recycles used nickel-based batteries
- More than 75 percent of materials from returned, spent batteries are extracted to be reused by industry
Manufacturing
- Saft is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our manufacturing operations
- Saft always strives to exceed compliance with national laws and regulations governing environmental protection
The digital technology age means a massive boom in devices and increasing energy demand, but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment
Patrick de Metz Environmental and Governmental Affairs Director at Saft.The sustainable and ethical supply of minerals (e.g. nickel, cobalt, cadmium & lithium)
Saft does everything it can to avoid including any unethically mined minerals in the manufacture of its electrodes and batteries and has developed a Code of Conduct (downloadable here) to this end. To ensure that our suppliers and subcontractors share our values, we ask that they sign and return a formal agreement (downloadable here) that summarizes the Code’s principles. We also ask that they do the same for their own suppliers and subcontractors. The agreement covers three areas - social responsibility, ethics and environmental responsibility.
Social responsibility
- Support and respect the protection of internationally accepted human rights
- Ensure they are not complicit in human-rights abuses, in particular slavery and human trafficking
- Respect the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- Eliminate all forms of forced or compulsory labour
- Never employ child labour
- Eliminate discrimination in employment and occupation
- Comply with applicable regulations relating to wages, working time, working conditions, occupational health and safety, protective equipment, physically demanding work and medical surveillance
Ethics
- Work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery
- Respect the principles of honesty and fairness, notably with regard to regulations on competition
- Avoid any relationships that could present a conflict of interest. Where this is not possible, to notify the appropriate member of staff at Saft in a timely manner
- Protect intellectual property and the confidentiality of data and information provided by Saft
- Never include conflict minerals in any manufacturing processes in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 2010
Environmental responsibility
- Recognize that environmental responsibility goes hand in hand with manufacturing world-class products
- Hold all required environmental permits and keep them up to date
- Monitor and minimize plant releases to air, water and soil
- Give preference to recycling over disposal whenever safe and economically possible
- Ensure safe treatment of hazardous production waste
- Adhere to all laws prohibiting the use of specific substances
- Communicate to Saft all necessary information concerning the presence of hazardous substances (according to international chemical management regulations) and of Substances of Very High Concern according to REACH (EC/1907/2006) at more than 0.1% (w/w) in components/articles supplied to Saft