We now include the full Product Carbon Footprint for castings in our quotations, showing emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3.

For two years now, our customers have been able to see an emissions footprint on the quotation document for any castings requested. However, previously this only included Scopes 1 & 2 (i.e. direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from operations). Scope 3 comprises the emissions of upstream and downstream processes across the entire value chain and is therefore more complex and difficult to capture.

Christoph Althausse, Managing Director at Römheld & Moelle, explains: „Our switch to green electricity at the beginning of 2023 slashed our emissions in Scope 1 & 2 by over 90%. It’s made it impossible for us to continue to exclude Scope 3 emissions in good conscience. They represent a significant part of the remaining emissions from our castings.

„Although we cannot always directly influence these emissions, we can create transparency, identify reduction potential and tackle Scope 3 emissions in a structured manner. It’s important to us to show that a medium-sized foundry like us can in fact calculate Scope 3 emissions. The tools are available.“

From Corporate Carbon Footprint down to casting level

At Römheld & Moelle, we calculate emissions in Scopes 1, 2 and 3 in line with the GHG Protocol and publish these annually as part of our sustainability reporting. On switching to 100% green electricity, there have been no Scope 2 emissions since 1 January 2023. This means that the „Corporate Carbon Footprint“ (i.e. our total emissions) now only contains emissions from preheating and casting processes and those from the upstream process chain (Scopes 1 and 3).

Currently, the product carbon footprint is calculated as the quotient of the corporate carbon footprint and the corresponding production volume. That means it does not differentiate between different iron casting materials or different moulding processes.

Projects are underway to assess the specific greenhouse gas emissions of castings by the moulding method used (at Römheld & Moelle they are full-mould casting, 3D sand printing and hollow-mould casting with permanent pattern) in order to better understand the differences in terms of emissions between the processes and to include this insight in our decarbonization strategy.

True reduction, not compensation

With our commitment to recording and reducing casting emissions, we assume future casting buyers will look not just at climate neutrality when purchasing castings, but also at how it was achieved: through real emission reduction, or simply by purchasing compensation certificates?

Christoph Althausse continues: „When we asked our customers more than two years ago about the importance of the emissions footprint of castings, a fifth reported that they would demand climate neutrality of casting products as early as 2025, and a further 46% planned to do so from 2030. An overwhelming majority (over 80%) clearly stated at the time that they defined „climate neutrality“ strictly as the elimination of actual CO₂ emissions. Only 16% would accept compensation through certificates. As suppliers, this only spurs us on: we must make progress quickly, but without shortcuts.“