The timelines and methodologies deployed by individual nations (and businesses) to reach net zero will, of course, vary considerably, but it is exciting to see some of the promising green technologies being developed and deployed given some serious airtime.
At DOMO Chemicals, we are constantly looking at how we can support the new sustainable solutions that are being developed – especially around mobility where we feel that polyamides will continue to play a leading role across several sustainability and cost metrics.
Indeed, greener energies are already on our radar, and we want to be ready to help lead them into the future.
All aboard the hydrogen train?
One of the new e-fuels being developed that I believe will help us enormously in our energy transition journey is hydrogen.
Hydrogen is an energy carrier with tremendous potential for clean, efficient power in stationary, portable and transport applications. It is envisaged as a significant element of the future fuel mix for transport, enhancing energy security while at the same time reducing oil dependency, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
The world is starting to take hydrogen fuel cells seriously. At COP26, the UK government laid on a hydrogen train to transport attendees to and from the Glasgow venue. Meanwhile, in recent weeks Namibia signed a landmark agreement for a $9.4 billion hydrogen power project that its energy ministry believes will produce 300,000 tons of green hydrogen a year and generate 32,000 jobs.
This is a positive indication of the confidence emerging in the hydrogen sector globally, and testament to the leap forward that has been made in terms of technology, cost and infrastructure. I believe it is a trend that will continue to accelerate in the coming years.
Moreover, it is a trend that I envisage DOMO being a part of as we seek to become an industry trendsetter of our own when it comes to sustainability in engineered polyamide materials.
We are already, for example, playing a key role in the e-mobility value chain. As part of the sector’s attempts to make electric vehicles as energy efficient as possible, manufacturers are turning to polyamide light weighting solutions to replace heavier, more costly metal alternatives for components such as fuel cells.
This, and the fact that more of our solutions are being derived from recycled materials, enables manufacturers to cut their carbon footprints and do their bit in the journey towards a circular economy and net zero.
Furthermore, because we are signed up to Circularise and its blockchain technology, there is total transparency in so far as e-vehicle manufacturers can trace exactly where their DOMO components come from. It is very much our view that any meaningful efforts to embrace sustainable practices must be underpinned by this level of visibility in the supply chain.
As vehicles become more digital and set the path for the climate-neutral mobility of the future, we will continue to find ways to support mobility manufacturers – and help make the change to greener energies a reality.
Change needs to come from all directions
It is not just about supplying environmentally friendly solutions to support vehicle manufacturers in their adoption of hydrogen technology, however.
On top of this, we are also looking at our own operations to see how we can embrace sustainable change, and I am proud to chair DOMO’s Sustainability Steering Committee and lead from the front.
This involves some bold targets. For instance, by 2030 we are seeking a neutral CO2 emissions growth versus 2019, a 15% reduction in the carbon content of DOMO’s energy mix and a 7% reduction of industrial waste. Additionally, DOMO is also committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our products by 20%, which in turn will improve the environmental credentials of our customers.
All of this will feed into our ultimate target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, in line with many nations making commitments before and during COP26.
Indeed, change needs to be driven on all fronts – from protagonists in both the private and public sphere. It is clear that governments and enterprises need each other to facilitate and develop the innovation required to complete a global energy transition, and green hydrogen represents one piece of a very large puzzle.
At DOMO, we will continue to support the sustainable endeavors of not just the transportation and mobility sectors, but a wide range of industrial activities that combined will have a big say in how the world handles the climate crisis.
