From Fridays for Future to the alliance for a climate-neutral Allgäu 2030 - everyone is talking about climate protection. And the coronavirus pandemic has once again heightened awareness of the impact humans have on nature. "As a company, we bear responsibility for the world of tomorrow. An intact natural environment and the preservation of our livelihoods for our children and future generations are important to us. Sustainable management has shaped our corporate philosophy since the company was founded and we are now in the middle of a process when it comes to climate protection," explains Ferdinand Mayr, Managing Partner of the Allgäu-based family business.

And so the climate protection commitment currently consists of many individual building blocks: it begins with the certification of energy and environmental management in accordance with DIN EN 16247-1 (energy) and DIN EN ISO 14001 (environment). Since 2017, the company has also been generating electricity using its own combined heat and power plant and photovoltaic systems on the production and assembly halls. "Since 2017, we have equipped every new hall roof area with photovoltaic systems. Overall, we currently cover around eleven percent of our electricity consumption with our own power generation," explains Managing Director Günther Klingler.

"We have also been working for several years to minimize our paper consumption with the aim of achieving a paperless office and are focusing on energy-efficient machines in production." Further measures in the area of e-mobility, the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings and the expansion of PV systems are already being planned or implemented. Ferdinand Mayr adds: "Corona in particular is also showing us the opportunities that we want to take advantage of now and in the future. Increased home office reduces emissions, as do telephone conferences instead of air travel where this is possible and sensible. We see this as an opportunity to combine efficiency with climate protection."

Climate-neutral since 2020
Mayr Antriebstechnik is on the way to greater climate protection and sustainability with many building blocks. However, as an industrial company, emissions are unavoidable. The mechanical engineering company offsets these with compensation measures in order to achieve the targets in the short term and counteract man-made climate change. "We have had the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our company's activities recorded and offset them by purchasing climate protection certificates for 2020 and 2021," explains Ferdinand Mayr.

The company uses these certificates to support a total of three projects: one in India to generate electricity from biomass residues, one in China (distribution of efficient solar stoves to rural households) and one in Turkey to generate renewable energy from wind power. "We are aware that the purchase of climate certificates is not uncontroversial. The prerequisite for us is that the offsetting measures do not stand alone, but represent just one element in our commitment to climate protection. Nevertheless, we must continue to improve our own balance sheet. The alternative would be not to offset, which is not much better in our eyes. The purchase at least supports or finances the projects in Asia, creating a win-win situation for both sides," says Ferdinand Mayr.

This saves_CO2 where it is particularly easy to do so. This is because greenhouse gases are distributed evenly in the atmosphere. This is another reason why it makes sense to avoid emissions where the costs are lowest. At the same time, the projects contribute to improving the local economic, social and ecological situation and support the achievement of the United Nations' sustainability goals. Mayr Antriebstechnik has received the "climate-neutral company" award for offsetting greenhouse gases. This makes the company one of the first in the industry to voluntarily offset its emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol. "We are also a reliable partner for our customers in this area. And we ourselves also consciously focus on sustainable supply chains," adds Günther Klingler.

Energy-saving potential also in Mayr products
When developing electromagnetic spring-applied brakes, Mayr optimizes the magnetic flux through design and material selection so that the required magnetic tractive force is achieved with the lowest possible coil power. This is because optimum design of the magnetic coils and magnetic field-resistant construction are important aspects when it comes to saving energy. However, there is far greater potential for savings during operation: by optimally controlling the brakes with a special Roba-switch rectifier, up to 93 percent of the energy can be saved. as