Decarbonizing the automotive aftermarket holds significant environmental benefits. The sector is shifting towards achieving zero emissions. However, what benefits the environment must also benefit the customer. These days, counter pros need to know if the products they're selling are sustainable, and focusing on sustainability has a dual benefit for the companies that make auto parts.

"Manufacturers that focus on sustainability will also focus on efficiency improvements, which applies to all areas of the business, including for us, for example, raw materials, energy, water, and waste optimization, " said Brad Dineley, Senior Vice President, Operations Strategic Projects, Americas Schaeffler.

Schaeffler, for example, has taken steps to reduce its total energy consumption while reducing its carbon footprint, by implementing hundreds of efficiency measures in all of its locations. Those measures include efficient lighting, cold water washing, and infrastructure, temperature and pressure set points.

"At Schaeffler, we focus on water and waste reductions, with a win-win scenario of reducing our consumption and disposal while lessening the burden on the environment," Dineley added. "Regarding material efficiency, we are re-engineering thousands of tools with the focus on minimizing our material waste and increasing the ratio of input material to finish good weight.

Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing sustainability in their investments. Schaeffler, for instance, has ramped up funding in a company called H2 Green Steel. Traditional steel production is a major contributor to CO2 emissions, largely because of its heavy reliance on coal in the blast furnace process. H2 Green Steel aims to revolutionize this by adopting more eco-friendly manufacturing methods, including the use of renewable energy sources instead of coal. Steel sourced from H2 Green Steel can have up to 95% lower embodied CO2 emissions compared to conventionally produced blast furnace steel.

"I believe that through customer leadership and practices, that the industries that we serve will move towards a more sustainable future," Dineley said. "Manufacturers like Schaeffler that are engineering their way to a sustainable future by investing in people education and process and product technology will ultimately be more competitive in the long term."

You can play a part in making a difference by simply recommending green steel products for automotive applications to your customers.

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