Not one South African company has achieved certification for ISO 50001:2011, the international standard for energy management, to date, despite the country being one of the first in 2011 to publish the standard, along with Australia and Sweden.

There are about 1 600 certified companies worldwide, of which about half are German companies, says National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA) Cape Regions senior project manager Alf Hartzenburg.

Companies, especially those that have global operations, simply cannot afford to alienate their environment-conscious consumers.

“Simply put, it has become a business imperative,” says Hartzenburg, adding that more companies are seeking ISO 50001:2011 certification for several reasons.

“Becoming energy efficient significantly reduces operating costs and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of buying products that are produced in an environment-friendly manner,” he states.
Therefore, the NCPC-SA has been assisting South African automotive manufacturers to attain ISO 50001:2011 energy management certification through its Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project since 2011.

He explains that the need to implement the ISO 50001:2011 standard is the result of several factors, including the findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) report, which show that the world will almost treble its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – from 22 Gt at the end of 2009 to 57 Gt by 2050 – should present levels of production and consumption continue.
“If existing levels of CO2 emission are causing the extreme changes in climate already being experienced, try to imagine a world with a threefold increase in CO2 emissions,” emphasises Hartzenburg.
He warns that significant changes in global weather patterns will likely cause water and food shortages.

To this end, the IEA has published its Blue Map strategy, which seeks to further progress toward reducing CO2 emissions by 50% and keeping the global temperature rise under 2% over the period 2010 to 2050.
The NCPC-SA seeks to assist the automotive and selected other industrial sectors in achieving this goal of reducing global CO2 emissions.

Hartzenburg explains that the NCPC-SA assists companies by managing their existing energy consumption more effectively.

“This is being achieved by implementing simple solutions, such as switching off idle machines, using more efficient electric motors and ensuring that the energy needs of the plant are matched by the energy generated. Facilitating the implementation of these types of solutions is how the NCPC-SA is assisting the South African automotive industry in achieving ISO 50001:2011 accreditation,” he says.

The standard seeks to reduce the amount of kilowatt hours consumed, which will, in turn, reduce the level of CO2 emissions.

However, Hartzenburg emphasises that ISO 50001:2011 certification does not in itself improve energy efficiency – it is the implementation and continuous improve- ment of the ISO 50001:2011 standards that will make the difference.

“ISO 50001:2011 is the only certification which seeks to improve companies’ overall operating costs as it is committed to reducing energy costs. It also audits not only compliance with the standard but also operational performance,” he highlights.

NCPC-SA has trained 30 auditors through its ISO 50001:2011 Lead Auditor Certification Programme to carry out certification audits at those companies interested in certification.

Benefits

Hartzenburg says companies which have implemented energy management systems (EnMSes) and system efficiency programmes have experienced energy reduction of 10% to 20% over the course of the first two years of implementation.

“Four companies in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) that are implementing an EnMS programme under the guidance of the IEE Project have reported actual savings of 190 GWh in the two-year period spanning 2010 to 2012,” he stresses, noting that 17 companies nationally are imple- menting ISO 50001:2011-aligned EnMSes.

NCPC-SA is currently training 58 workers from these 17 companies to become – should they pass their exams in November – accredi- ted energy management experts.

The first four companies that undertook an EnMS included steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa, at its Saldanha Bay plant, automotive manufacturer Toyota South Africa, at its Durban plant, specialised textile group Gelvenor Textiles, at its Hammarsdale (KZN) factory, and interior building solutions group Saint-Gobain Gyproc, at its Cape Town factory.

Automotive companies that are currently seeking ISO 50001:2011 accreditation for their operations in the Eastern Cape include automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz South Africa, exhaust system manufacturer Tenneco Emission Control and shock absorbers manufacturer Tenneco Ride Control.

Automotive companies that are currently implementing energy management systems in Gauteng include automotive vehicle manufacturer BMW, wheels manufacturer Maxion Wheels and automotive component manufacturer AMK Automotive.