Beakert Presses Environmental Stewardship Further

In July 2008, Bekaert Specialty Films announced it was the first specialized film manufacturer to define its carbon footprint successfully. Recently, the company announced that it has taken this concept a step further by having the measurement verified by independent auditors for Bureau Veritas, granting the San Diego, Calif.-based film manufacturer the status of Climate Action Leader by the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR). CCAR is widely regarded as the country’s most rigorous voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program.

In July, Christophe Fremont, Bekaert’s president, said the company had chosen to pursue a carbon footprint measurement to back up its commitment to environmentally responsible practices. While solar-control window film products are well-known for cutting down on energy consumption, Fremont stressed his belief that window film companies should take this mantra a step further.

“We believe all energy-saving window film products should be manufactured under stringent environmental standards to reinforce the energy saving solutions that these products bring to the consumer,” Fremont says. “And we are proud to be leading the window film industry toward that charge.”

Fremont’s sentiment is reflected by consumer-based research published by international consulting firm LEK Consulting. LEK’s study shows that, in the U.K. at least, consumers are indeed expecting these sorts of measures from the companies they support. A recent study found that 41 percent of U.K. consumers believe manufacturers should take the lead in minimizing the carbon footprint of their future purchases. Bekaert officials say the company’s reporting of its worldwide GHG emissions represents a clear understanding of this need and a step forward in its commitment. And, to date, Bekaert is the only film manufacturer to have taken these steps—a position Fremont says his company is familiar with.

“We’ve continuously led industry advancements, and hope our commitment to environmental stewardship will help blaze the way for others to define and publish their carbon footprints,” he says. “We hope our innovation will motivate other manufacturers to take action and make similar pledges to reducing CO2 emissions.”

The California Registry has developed GHG reporting standards and tools which support organizations in measuring, monitoring, verifying and reducing GHG emissions. Registry officials say they share the hope that other manufacturers will follow Bekaert’s lead. “We are thrilled that Bekaert Specialty Films has earned the status of Climate Action Leader,” says Gary Gero, CCAR president. “We believe that its example helps set a positive tone and a meaningful standard of energy efficiency in the window film industry.”

Bekaert’s carbon footprint is published on CCAR’s website and available at: https://www.climateregistry.org/CARROT/public/reports.aspx.