Freudenberg has completed the installation of 13,000 square metres of photovoltaic cells on the roof of its new Nantong interlinings factory in China.

With a total capacity of 1.6 MW, the new rooftop installation is projected to produce 1.5 million kWh of green electricity each year. In addition to reduced energy consumption from the grid, this new installation will lower CO2 emissions by approximately 1,200 tons per year.

The factory uses valley voltage to cool water in its reservoir that is applied to A/C and machine temperature management during working hours. A new waste gas treatment technology enables hot water collected by heat exchangers to be directly reused in production, reducing thermal energy waste, and a new multi-phase waste gas treatment technology reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The factory has also incorporated new methods to improve the A-grade rates of bi-elastic interlinings and shirt interlinings, further reducing waste while improving garment quality.

“The completion of our rooftop photovoltaic project means we can leverage our space to generate electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jonathan Oh, senior vice president and general manager of Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel. “Through a range of measures at the factory, we are able to meaningfully reduce energy and water usage while improving overall efficiency and delivering ultimate performance from sustainably-produced products.”

Freudenberg Apparel’s House of Sustainability collection has been collated to help customers achieve their own sustainability goals by offering over 500 distinct materials and processes.

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