Sustainability Matters

Company

3/15/2024

Here at Fronius, we develop sustainable products and solutions to generate green electricity. But is that the extent of it? Or does sustainability mean something more to us as a company? Our answer: Absolutely. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. It starts with the initial idea for a product, and extends from production, to transport, to when the product eventually scrapped or recycled. Read about what sustainability means to us as a manufacturer, and how sustainability is a living, breathing part of our everyday lives.

Sustainably designed. Sustainably made.

Our products are not only created in an especially resource-friendly way but are also designed for superior durability and repairability. We use the highest test standards in development and production for best product quality. If service is needed, only individual parts and affected components need to be replaced instead of replacing the entire unit. We attach great importance to the conscious use of resources when it comes to product materials, the means of production, and employees. We use recycled and recyclable materials whenever possible. In production design, we make sure that components require little space and resources and can be easily replaced, if necessary.

Inverter Repairability

Power electronics don’t last forever. Even with their long life expectancy, we know that Fronius string inverters can eventually fail. However, our inverters don’t end up in a landfill. Our residential and commercial inverters - under warranty or out of warranty - can be serviced with replacement parts or replaced with a refurbished unit, so good parts don’t go to waste. We repair and refurbish inverters at our headquarters in Indiana. When inverter parts can no longer be repaired, a large percentage of these parts are recycled, ensuring the most sustainable manufacturing process from start to finish.

Recyclability

Already in the selection of materials and in the product development process, we pay attention to the reparability and recyclability of our products at the end of their life cycle. Wherever possible, renewable materials are used in their manufacturing.

Sustainable Packaging

To protect our products from potential damage in transit, and to reduce our environmental footprint, we at Fronius take care to select suitable packaging materials and reduce their use. Factors considered in terms of sustainability include the following:

Ecological footprint of the packaging material
Possibility of reusing and recycling the packaging material
Required packaging use for optimum protection of the equipment

People: Social responsibility

Fronius is a family-owned company. We think in terms of generations and do not measure ourselves against short-term success. Social equality is firmly anchored in our company DNA and fair cooperation forms the foundation of our corporate culture.

Planet: Ecological responsibility

The fact that we are continuously growing means that we need more space. We want to ensure that we use this space as effectively as possible while protecting the environment. As a manufacturing company, we are keenly aware of the effects of our business activities.

Profit: Responsible business practices

Long-term growth instead of short-term profits - this has been Fronius’ motto since its founding. With three business units that are completely different in their areas of application, the company has a solid foundation and is therefore more resistant to crises. With durable and repairable products, we not only protect the environment, but also create added value for our customers.

Sustainability along the product life cycle

We set ourselves the target of achieving sustainability along the entire product life cycle. After all, it is only when a sustainable approach is taken to the development, production, use, and disposal of a product throughout its total life cycle that they can make a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction. This is why, when developing new products, we pay special attention to long service life, efficiency, and effectiveness, as well as the ease with which they can be repaired or recycled.

» For us here at Fronius, sustainability is not just a word. It is deeply rooted in the way we think and how we act. We invest in years of research, so that the products and solutions we design are fit for the future and sustainable «

says Martin Hackl, Global Director of the Business Unit Solar Energy, Fronius International GmbH.

The GEN24 Plus hybrid inverter is a prime example of sustainability

The Fronius GEN24 Plus hybrid inverter is a good example of how sustainability can work along the total life cycle. For an entire year, we examined the life cycle of the GEN24 Plus inverter together with a sustainability expert. From raw materials to sustainability in production, to transport routes, to ease of device repair and recycling: everything was put under the microscope.

The results of this life cycle analysis speak for themselves – and have also been confirmed by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute in Germany: the environmental benefits are up to 26-times higher than the energy expended in manufacturing and operating the inverter, and in recycling or disposing of the waste.

Up to 16,932 kg CO₂ are saved with the GEN24 Plus inverter during an assumed service life of 20 years (compared to the alternative of obtaining electricity from the grid). This is equivalent to roughly nine flights from Munich to New York.

» Only very few electronic products can claim to make savings in CO2 emissions that, by comparison, outweigh the CO2 emissions produced in manufacturing, operation, and disposal «

says Martin Hackl proudly on the findings of the life cycle analysis.

Sustainable products are made to last

For us, sustainability also means high-quality products with a long service life. Not only do our customers then save a lot of money, but we also generate less waste and stop wasting resources. This is why we subject our products to the strictest of tests under many different conditions – and even go way beyond the requirements laid down in the applicable standards. This has helped us establish a global reputation for high quality that withstands any number of challenges from temperature, moisture, dust, or salt.

Problems with our devices are rare, and are usually quickly corrected. This is because fast and easy repair is an important pillar of our sustainability strategy:

Repairing products instead of disposing of them saves money, resources, and waste
With an ingenious system for replacing PC boards or power stage sets, problems can be corrected on site within a very short time, and green energy production swiftly resumed.
Should it still be necessary to send in devices for repair, we have Fronius Repair Centers in our 21 subsidiaries throughout the world, so that long-distance transportation is avoided.

Sustainability is a way of life at Fronius:

We define the issue of sustainability as a corporate value, and its impact ranges from sustainable location development, to creating a healthy and safe working environment for our employees, to making optimum use of our resources. We have set ourselves the goal of moving completely away from fossil fuels and instead using renewable energy sources at our sites in Austria. This is just one of many examples of how sustainability is practiced in our company.

If you would like to find out more, then read the interview with Katrin Helmberger, Head of Corporate Sustainability

Read interview

The photovoltaic systems at our production sites allow Fronius to generate almost 2,000 MWh of solar power per year, which could cover the electricity needs of around 500 households
86% of the energy used comes from sustainable sources (solar energy, biomass, geothermal energy, green electricity)
87% of all waste is recycled, re-used, or composted
The buildings at Fronius sites are heated and cooled with solar energy, biomass, and geothermal energy, and have ingenious energy-saving systems
More than 150 electric charging points for cars and bicycles, as well as a hydrogen refueling system, are available

Are you interested in knowing more about the life cycle assessment? Find out here why the GEN24 Plus is one of the most sustainable inverters in the world. Read more

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