Bromma has been a forerunner in our industry and we are proud to have been on a journey to electrification for more than 20 years now.
Today, the climate change and limiting its effects is a key focus area for many of our customers. Global terminal operators have ambitious objectives, many of which are aligned with the 1,5°C pathway of the Science Based Targets -initiative. Some of them also have targets for reaching Net Zero carbon emissions.
As a part of Cargotec, Bromma is committed to the 1,5-degree initiative. By 2030, our goal is to cut down our greenhouse emissions by 50% from a 2019 base level.
To achieve these targets, we aim to reduce the carbon footprint across three different areas:
- Our products and their use
- Our operations
- Materials and manufacturing
To back our words up, we have completed a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on our key products. The analysis helps us understand Bromma’s environmental impact and the emissions our products create from start to finish. The LCA includes raw material extraction, manufacturing of components by suppliers, in-house assembly, use phase and maintenance of the spreaders.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the three areas and the actions we are taking or planning to take in the upcoming future. First, we’ll see what kind of impact our products have on the climate during their use phase. Then we will look at the actions of our own operations, and lastly manufacturing and materials.
Products and use phase
Out of the three areas, the biggest emissions undeniably come from the use of our equipment. Especially since our products are in operation for many years, factors affecting their environmental impact during the use phase really matter. That’s why we at Bromma want to make sure our product portfolio helps in decreasing CO2 emissions.
In this section, we’ll go through different electric offerings for crane spreader applications. We’ll also compare our products to determine the best choices for more sustainable ports.
Forerunner of the industry
More than 20 years ago, in 2001, we introduced the environmentally friendly all-electric yard crane spreader. Since then, all-electric spreaders have become the preferred spreader choice for yard crane applications. This is a big win for the climate, since a port usually has many more yard cranes than ship-to-shore cranes.
In 2022, we took another step towards more sustainable terminals, when we launched the new All-Electric ship-to-shore spreader to join the all-electric spreader family.
The All-Electric STS spreader can save up to 6 tonnes of CO2 emissions in a year. The spreader decreases energy consumption by up to 87%, leading to savings in operating costs. When performing life cycle assessment (LCA), which is based on the internationally recognised ISO 14067 standard, we are able to conclude that Carbon Footprint of the all-electric STS45E G2 PLUS spreader is significantly less compared to the conventional hydraulic spreader. The STS45E G2 PLUS provides 58% life cycle emission reduction potential and 87% in the use phase compared to STS45. This is considered a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation.
Figure 1 Bromma STS spreaders’ Lifecycle CO2e impact
Building a product portfolio of environmentally friendly products
We know transitioning to an all-electric spreader fleet can take a while. So, we keep on developing solutions to improve energy use also for our hydraulic spreaders.
Bromma’s PLUS Energy Saver is an option that helps hydraulic spreaders to reduce its energy consumption. Spreaders equipped with this innovative powerpack consume 28–33% less energy. It is available for most hydraulic spreader models as an option, and it can also be retrofitted on hydraulic spreaders already in use.
Comparing the energy consumption of our products
The following graph provides a visual representation of the different energy consumption among Bromma’s STS spreader solutions.
The extent of potential energy savings is contingent upon the operational intensity. Bromma’s flagship hydraulic STS spreader, the STS45, exhibits an energy consumption rate falling within the 2.2 to 2.4 kWh range.
Integrating our PLUS Energy Saver with the hydraulic STS spreader results in a noteworthy energy consumption reduction spanning from 28% to 33%. The most substantial savings, ranging from 85% to 88%, are achieved when employing the All-Electric STS45E G2 PLUS spreader.
Figure 2 Energy consumption during usage for Bromma’s STS spreaders
Operations
Even though the majority of the CO2 emissions are generated in the use phase of the products, we still need to do whatever we can to minimize the effects of our own operations. We want to lead by example and strive to improve our operations and do better for the environment.
These are some of the actions we are taking in our operations:
- Evaluation, reduction, and replacement of the energy used
- Implementing Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Programs in our factories and offices
- Setting up solar panels for our factory in Malaysia
- Replacing forklift fleet with fully-electric forklift at Bromma Manufacturing Plant
Materials and manufacturing
The emissions from manufacturing come primarily from the raw materials and the components used in production. Bromma spreaders are built of 95% steel, and that’s where most of the emissions related to the spreaders’ materials and manufacturing come from. The origin of steel, including the type of iron ore used in the steel mills, makes a significant difference to the carbon emissions.
Bromma prioritizes steel sourced from Sweden and Europe. According to data provided by our trusted suppliers, this choice results in up to 17% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to alternative steel sources.
Developing the materials
Additionally, in partnership with the Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB, we are in a project developing fossil-free steel-making technology. This technology uses hydrogen in the production process instead of coal and coke, combined with 100% renewable electricity.
The Hybrit steel project is in the development and testing phase with plans to start volume production by 2026. Bromma is currently evaluating the characteristics of the Hybrit steel including fatique tests and comparisons to conventional steel.
In addition to the Hybrit steel project, Bromma is also evaluating SSAB Zero™, a fossil carbon emission-free recycled steel. The plan is to build the first spreader using SSAB Zero™ during this year. SSAB Zero™ has zero fossil carbon emissions (less than 0.05 kg CO2e emissions per kg steel in scope 1 and 2) in operations, including purchased energy and transportation.
Conclusion
Our innovations have been and still are shaping the industry. From energy reductions to minimizing the chance for hydraulic leaks, our electric spreaders and other energy-efficient solutions for hydraulic spreaders are paving the way for more sustainable port operations.
The life-cycle analyses presented in this article paint a clear picture of the CO2 impacts our spreaders have.
Here are the key takeaways from the analyses:
- The manufacturing-related emissions are primarily derived from raw materials and components.
- For Bromma’s flagship hydraulic STS spreader (STS45), the majority of the CO2e emissions are generated from energy consumption during the use phase of the machine (67%).
- For the new All-Electric STS45E G2 PLUS, the emissions from use phase energy consumption are reduced by 87%.
- The total lifecycle CO2e emissions are reduced by 60% or 73,7 tons of CO2e using the All-Electric STS45E G2 PLUS.
Download Bromma Carbon Footprint Declaration
Download Bromma carbon footprint declaration, which summarizes the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted for Bromma’s hydraulic spreader STS45 and Bromma’s all-electric spreader STS45E G2 PLUS. You can also download our comparative analysis of net carbon emissions for Bromma spreaders.