Sustainability - just another empty phrase?

The concept of sustainability is becoming increasingly more relevant, from grocery shopping to choosing energy suppliers and even in our workplaces. Many companies are singing the virtues of sustainability, but alas this all too often consists of big words that fail to be backed up with physical action.
Fronius is truly committed to sustainability. With our vision of 24 hours of sun and a world in which 100% of our electricity needs are met through renewable energy sources, achieving a sustainable energy supply has become one of the main reasons for our very existence. But is it enough? Does having a grand vision and being a part of the renewable energy sector really give us a right to call ourselves sustainable? Or do we need to do more? And if yes, then what does this mean for our company?

Why we should take a holistic approach to sustainability

The energy revolution is a decisive step in the battle against climate change and renewable energy technologies are the key. The end goal is a sustainable energy system – which Fronius calls 24 hours of sun – which will propel humankind into a worthwhile future for us all. Ultimately that also means that the energy revolution itself must be a completely sustainable process. It is not enough to simply do the right thing. We need to do the right thing in the right way!
Generating energy from renewable sources must therefore be treated as a holistic concept. This means considering factors such as the origin of materials, the sustainability of supply chains and the working conditions of those employed in the industry. If we do not take this approach, we will create simply another unsustainable system.

Some companies are already claiming to be 100% sustainable. Most of the time this claim is rather questionable, since anyone who wants to be truly sustainable soon discovers that it is almost impossible to be so in our industrialized world. This is not simply because sustainability costs a lot of money, but mainly because, as both people and companies, we are all currently part of a system that is not sustainable. Attempting to completely detach yourself from this system can only be a long-term goal at the moment.

Achieving sustainability step by step

At Fronius, we recognise that sustainability is a process that will take decades to complete and one in which energy will play a key role. Based on a corporate identity where sustainability is one of our five core values, we never lose sight of the overall picture as we actively drive this process forward. This means that Fronius will not become sustainable overnight, but each day will take another step towards our goal: from the renewable energy systems at our sites to supplying our staff restaurants with local produce and honey made on company premises, not to mention the continuous adoption of electric models for our fleet of company cars. We only process conflict-free minerals in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act, manufacture our products in Austria‘s high-wage economy and have produced an award-winning sustainability report.

As a manufacturer we naturally place a great deal of emphasis on the sustainability of our products and solutions. The traditional Fronius formula for success of high-quality goods with long service lives is more than just a selling point for us, but a way of conserving resources.

Fronius takes an exceptional position when it comes to our support services. While many manufacturers in our industry neglect this area, producing inverters that are meant to be disposed of, we stay true to our philosophy, operating repair centres across the globe for fixing defective devices. As well as this, we save thousands of service kilometres (and the associated travel time) for our installers every year with the Fronius PC board replacement process, which allows trained installers to repair defective devices on site. In the ideal scenario, a service technician will not even need to attend in the first place if a problem can be rectified through a remote software update. In this sense, sustainability does not have to mean going without, but can instead mean efficiency, cost reduction and creating more value for the customer.

Doing the right thing in the right way is how Fronius tries to approach matters both large and small. It is important because sustainability has many shapes and forms. Only a holistic outlook can pave the way to a sustainable future.