Thermal energy transition for a global manufacturing network
Supporting: Reckitt
The Company
Reckitt is a multinational consumer goods company specialising in health, hygiene, nutrition, and home products, including well-known brands Dettol®, Air Wick®, and Clearasil®, among many others. Reckitt’s strong commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility has led it to implement innovative practices across its operations and supply chain, making significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint.
A signatory of initiatives such as the RE100 and the SBTi, Reckitt has pledged to reach net zero within the next two decades.
The Challenge
As part of its journey towards net zero, Reckitt aims to decarbonise its thermal energy consumption across its manufacturing network of more than 50 sites around the globe. But transitioning to renewable heating is no easy feat; tailoring renewable heat solutions to meet location-specific and process-specific requirements is crucial, and there are currently few mature solutions at play.
To engage and enable suppliers, it was necessary to map out the potential for suppliers and demonstrate that there are competitive advantages to investing.
Our Expertise
Reckitt enlisted act renewable to gain a comprehensive understanding of available renewable heating technologies tailored to its operational needs. Leveraging our expertise in opportunity and risk assessment, Reckitt was able to gain valuable insights into the financial business cases and scalability options for each solution.
Process & Roadmap
Phase 1: Identifying Suitable Technologies at Country Level
Conducted thorough assessment of renewable heating technologies at the country level, aligning options with Reckitt’s sustainability goals and adhering to each country’s regulatory landscape.
Phase 2: Applicability and Scalability Assessment at Site Level
Evaluated the process-specific applicability and scalability of selected renewable heating technologies at the site level, ensuring tailored and effective solutions for Reckitt’s operational processes.
Phase 3: Top-Tier Site Analysis
Strategically analysed opportunities for transitioning to renewable thermal technologies at Reckitt’s top-tier sites, representing over 80% of the company’s total thermal energy load. This phase outlined the most viable solutions for a significant reduction in Reckitt’s overall thermal energy footprint.
Example of a process- and site-specific heating technologies compatibility matrix
Key Outcomes
Reckitt was able to:
- -Gain an understanding of the business case for each technology solution, including considerations around financial feasibility.
- -Gain a comprehensive overview of the potential challenges of implementing renewable heat solutions for key sites.
- -Gain alignment on its business criteria with the technical requirements of potential renewable heat solutions, which informed future decision-making on implementation.
Ultimately, this project enabled Reckitt to leverage a scalable approach, which ensured the successful roll-out of suitable renewable heat technology applications – thereby decarbonising its thermal energy consumption across its global operations.
To read more on Reckitt’s journey towards accelerating the corporate transition, check out their sustainability report:
Progress and resilience in an eventful year: Our 2022 Annual Reports | Reckitt.com