Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
Sandvik contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals according to the UN's 2030 Agenda. By integrating the sustainability goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), into our operations and strategy, we work to create a positive impact on society and the environment.
Good health and well-being
Our battery-electric underground offering reduces heat and emissions, thereby improving working conditions and lowering mining customers’ ventilation costs. Our AutoMine® technology enables 24/7 automated loading and hauling operations at Boliden’s Renström mine in Sweden, leading to improved productivity and a safer work environment for operators who can monitor machines remotely. Additionally, Sandvik has health and well-being programs for employees at its various locations.
Gender equality
Sandvik is aiming to have women representing one-third of its managerial positions by 2030. We have formed partnerships with organizations such as Female Leader Engineer and International Women in Mining. In Pune, India, Sandvik Coromant has taken proactive measures to encourage greater participation of women in the manufacturing workforce. The results are encouraging, with female employees escalating from 4 percent in 2019 to 20.5 percent in 2023. To ensure the safety of female nightshift workers, Sandvik provides secure transportation, GPS tracking, CCTV cameras, and a dedicated security guard.
Clean water and sanitation
In 2023, we inaugurated a fourth wastewater treatment plant in Pune, India. This facility focuses on increasing the recycling and reuse of water, thereby contributing to sustainable water management in the region.
Affordable and clean energy
Sandvik has signed agreements to procure fossil-free energy across various markets. We are continually increasing our use of renewable energy at our sites, and implementing numerous environmental improvement projects. We have developed an internal policy document to promote the use of renewable electricity through local procurement.
Decent work and economic growth
For the past 23 years, Sandvik Apprenticeship program has been dedicated to nurturing technical skills for trackless mining in southern Africa. Operated through the Sandvik Southern Africa Academy in South Africa, the program has trained over 1,000 apprentices in the mining equipment trade across Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa.
We are committed to achieving zero harm to people. Our mining automation solutions offer the potential for remote work and contribute to a safer and healthier work environment.
Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
Digitalized manufacturing enables a closed-loop production system that yields increased productivity, minimized waste, and enhanced quality. Sandvik has rapidly expanded its digital offering to automate and connect the entire component manufacturing value chain, from design and planning, to production and verification. Our goal is to establish an end-to-end digital offering that is agnostic and automates the machining process.
Sandvik is digitalizing its buyback program process to make carbide recycling easier, quicker, and more transparent. Customers can easily request a price for used material, automatically book a shipment, track the recycled material, and receive data on saved GHG emissions. This new digitalized process was successfully launched in Sweden and Germany, with plans to extend it to more markets.
Our patented "charging while drilling" technology for underground battery-electric drilling equipment utilizes the drilling cycle to simultaneously charge the battery. This innovation reduces downtime, GHG emissions, heat, and noise.
Powder-based net-shape technologies, such as additive manufacturing, enable the merging of several components into one, reducing assembly steps and thereby energy consumption. Additive manufacturing also reduces waste and often minimizes the use of lubricants and cleaning fluids.
Responsible consumption and production
Every year, we produce tens of millions of inserts. Our transition to a more circular business model includes aiming to buy back 90 percent of the inserts from customers and reusing the recycled material in new tools. This approach significantly reduces the need for resource mining, leading to a 70 percent reduction in energy usage and a 64 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.
In 2023, Sandvik launched an industry-first "opt-out" customer recycling program for carbide drill bits, contributing to secure sourcing of scarce minerals, reduced environmental impact, and minimizing waste generation. The “opt-out” program implies that customers are automatically enrolled in the recycling initiative unless they choose to decline or “opt-out” of participation. The initiative contributes to a circular system for cemented carbide.
Our division Wolfram started the development of tools using our Bergla® tungsten carbide powder made entirely of recycled material, this year. It is produced from 100 percent recycled tungsten raw material in a manufacturing process that requires less than 10 percent energy compared to standard recycling methods, with 90 percent of the energy utilized being renewable. The advantage of the process is it combination of an existing technology at Wolfram with the full integration of circularity, reusing waste material.
In 2023, Sandvik announced the strategic acquisition of tungsten powder manufacturer Buffalo Tungsten. The acquisition offers synergy potential, by optimizing materials sourcing and increasing the rate of locally produced tungsten metal powder through its facility in Depew, New York, US.
Waste circularity is a focal point in our 2030 targets. In May, the Seco division introduced product packaging made from 100 percent recycled materials, sourced from discarded household plastic packaging. The increased use of recycled plastic not only aids in reducing GHG emissions but also promotes circularity. We continually strive to improve our practices for recycling and reuse at all our sites.
Climate action
In September 2023, our GHG reduction targets received approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) (read more about this in Sustainability shift). We are committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions across the entire value chain by no later than 2050. Our near-term objectives include achieving a 50 percent reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030, a 30 percent reduction in absolute scope 3 emissions and a 90 percent reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2040. All targets have 2019 as the base year.