Schindler has a global perspective on sustainability and focuses on the most relevant key performance indicators.
Sustainability is a dual commitment for Schindler: we want to fulfill our vision of leadership in urban mobility solutions and strive to optimize our environmental impact while investing in people and society. Over 150 years of history, Schindler has grown around the world being recognized as a responsible corporate citizen. We firmly intend to continue evolving along this path.
Mobility is essential in the world we live and work. Every day, more than 2 billion people all over the world place their trust in Schindler. That is why we are committed to continuously improve the environmental impact of our products and services along the whole life-cycle.
Schindler’s commitment to sustainability is enshrined in our Corporate Sustainability Policy, which defines our approach to sustainability based on three pillars – People, Planet, and Performance – and the journey we have embarked on regarding key sustainability challenges.
From the first sketches in design, right through to disposal and recycling, environmental assessment considerations are an integral part of product development. The assessment rigidly follows the ISO 14040 standard and is embedded in the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, which is applied at Corporate Research and Development. Providing transparency in all phases.
The EPD provides verified information on the environmental impact of a product. The declaration is based on a comprehensive LCA and follows the ISO 14025 guideline. A complex issue made understandable.
Schindler conducts Life-cycle Assessments of its products. The objective is to continuously improve the environmental performance of the product assessed. A holistic approach all the way.
Product Category Rules (PCR) define the rules and requirements for EPDs of a certain product category. They are a key part of ISO 14025 as they enable transparency and comparability between EPDs.
The aim is to determine the environmental impact of the elevator system from development to disposal. Based on the PCR, the assessment is separated into three modules – upstream, core and downstream – covering the energy and material flow. To compare the performance of elevators results are given for the functional unit “tkm”. In addition, results are given per declared unit “lift” to provide information in the form required for building assessments.
Energy efficiency has been improved dramatically, especially compared to the previous product generation. In the past, the operational phase accounted for the main impact, now operation has become less dominant compared to material at a relatively lower level. Thanks to continuous investment and effort in improving both energy and material efficiency.
In the LCA, impact assessment method CML 2001 and its related characterization factors were employed at the midpoint level as requested in the PCR (Environdec 2015, version 1.0), i.e. without normalization and weighting. Selected environmental impact categories for this study were global warming (CML 2001, August 2016 version, IPCC 2013 100 year horizon), acidification (CML 2001 non-baseline, August 2016 version), eutrophication (CML 2001 baseline, August 2016 version), photochemical ozone creation (CML 2001, baseline, high NOx, August 2016 version), abiotic depletion of elements (CML 2001, baseline, August 2016 version), and abiotic depletion of fossil fuels (CML 2001, baseline, August 2016 version). The European electricity supply mix UCTE was applied for the operation of elevator.
The PCR defines the following functional unit for product comparison. The function unit is the result of a load transported over a distance, expressed in ton - kilometer [tkm]
According to the PCR the functional unit is calculated as the average load (% Q) multiplied by the distance traveled over the lifetime (sRSL).
FU= % Q × sRSL
FU = 3’035 tkm
% Q = 60 kg
sRSL = 50’589 km
The average load is determined applying the percentage for usage class 4 defined in Table 3 of ISO 25745 – 2 where Q is the lift rated load [kg].
The travel distance refers to a usage period of 20 years with 365 days of operation, an elevator speed of 1.6 m/s and a frequency of 750 trips per day as defined by ISO 25745-2 for usage class 4. Applying the functional unit approach permits comparison of different elevator systems per unit of tkm, but the comparison is appropriate only for elevators in the same usage category. Whereby 0.42 tkm of a Schindler 5500 represent about one day of operation in its representative environment and usage category.
The following optional information goes beyond the requirements defined in the PCR.
Information per unit “lift” is included following the approach of the declared unit used in building assessment. The declared representative unit is a typical configuration of the Schindler 5500 (see definition of configuration on page 3). The results per “lift” provide an example of a typical environmental impact of Schindler 5500. The figures shown in the following table are based on a reference service life of 20 years, corresponding to the designed lifetime without considering a modernization.
Over a life cycle of 20 years, the total impact of the analyzed Schindler 5500 elevator system is 39.8 t CO2- equivalent.
Increasing energy efficiency is essential in order to reduce the environmental impact of the elevator and the building. The longest phase in the life cycle is the usage phase, which can be up to 30 years, depending on maintenance and modernization.
Schindler energy efficiency calculations and evaluation corresponds to the ISO 25745-2 and additional information regarding express zones are considered according PCR Lifts. The Schindler 5500 example is classified as B, whereby A indicates the best efficiency class in a range from A to G. The classification always refers to a specific configuration and is measured at the installation site. Usage pattern, load capacity, energy saving options and site conditions influence the final rating.