Optoelectronic component manufacturer II‐VI is to power all of its European facilities with 100 per cent renewable electricity sources.
Globally, II-VI has entered into renewable-electricity contracts for 24 sites, including 14 of them now covering 100 per cent of their annual electricity usage from renewable sources.
To power its footprint across Europe, II-VI is purchasing approximately 38 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year of renewable electricity, and so eliminating about 5,800 metric tons of CO2 emissions. The renewable electricity is supplied to II-VI’s manufacturing operations, research and development sites, and sales offices throughout six European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.), encompassing 57,000m2, of facility space across 12 sites.
More than 20 per cent of the company’s global electricity needs are currently being supplied by renewable sources across the U.S. and Europe. The percentage of renewable electricity powering II-VI’s operations is expected to grow annually and, in the future, to also include the company’s major manufacturing sites in Asia.
Dr. Karlheinz Gulden, senior vice president, laser devices and systems business unit at II-VI said: ‘II-VI has made it a top priority to reduce its carbon footprint across its global operations. This is elating news for our employees not only in Europe, but also around the world to know that we have achieved this important milestone and to be working for a company that not only supports but actively works towards long-term sustainability through tangible actions.’
