The Basics: ESG and PGM Recycling
Short for Environmental, Social, and Governance, ESG considers the impact a company has on its employees, customers and the communities where it operates.
ESG is also used to represent an organization’s corporate financial interests that focus mainly on sustainable and ethical impacts. Capital markets use ESG to evaluate organizations and determine future financial performance. While ethical, sustainable and corporate governance are considered non-financial performance indicators, their role is to ensure accountability and systems to manage a corporation’s impact, such as its carbon footprint.
This article helps explain the benefits of platinum group metals (PGM) recycling for companies that are committed to implementing an ESG strategy and its principles.
Recycling with Red Fox Resources primarily impacts the Environmental factors involved in ESG and how an organization considers the protection of natural resources. These factors include the environment, climate change, energy consumption, and their overall impact. Other examples of environmental factors include air and water quality, biodiversity, deforestation, energy performance, carbon footprint (including greenhouse gas emissions), natural resource depletion, waste management, and pollution.
Ready to learn more, let’s dive in.
The Big Picture
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas (GHG). Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere much like the glass of a greenhouse. Emissions of greenhouse gases contribute to climate change and the heating of the planet.
- Consumers, companies, and governments around the world are taking steps to reduce CO2 emissions in an effort to curb global warming and climate change.
- The supply of many natural resources is limited and becoming more and more scarce.
- Both the internal combustion technologies of today AND the clean transportation platforms of the future, like electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, require scarce minerals such as platinum group metals (PGM).
- Mining these required PGM minerals for today AND tomorrow is costly to the environment and tied to climate change.
Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming
- Transportation and vehicles are key contributors to the rise of greenhouse gases, global warming, extreme weather events, and drought.
- Steps to control and reduce all types of harmful emissions actually started in the 1970s.
- CO2 emissions result from almost everything produced in the modern economy.
- Governments and companies around the world are working to reduce GHG emissions and implement more sustainable practices.
PGM and Cleantech
- For decades, cleaner fuels and emission controls have been used to help reduce harmful emissions and CO2.
- Most emission control systems use Platinum Group Metals (PGM) such as platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) as a catalyst in the exhaust stream to clean up and reduce harmful emissions.
- Catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters (DPF), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) and other clean technologies use PGM to curb harmful emissions.
- PGMs are also used in electric vehicles, battery-electric hybrids, and fuel-cell vehicles. However, the natural supply of these technologically required minerals is dwindling, and the production activities of these raw minerals are very energy intensive and contribute to climate change.
PGM Sourcing: Mining vs. Recycling
- Industrial sourcing of PGM is predominantly done in South Africa. South African mines are primarily powered by non-renewable energy sources like coal and diesel. These mining activities result in significant GHG and CO2 emissions.
- A single DPF/DOC assembly requires six tons of mined ore from the earth and six months of processing time to produce one (1) commercial ounce of PGM.
Mining an ounce of PGM results in 95-97% more carbon emissions than recycling an ounce of PGM.
- PGM recycling results in monetary gain for companies as ounces recycled are purchased by recycling companies like Red Fox Resources.
A Contributing Solution: PGM Recycling
- Compared to mining, PGM recycling from spent emission control parts is a sustainable solution with a fraction of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
- Recycling PGM helps create a circular supply chain with substantially reduced CO2 emissions.
- On average, recycling two diesel emission assemblies returns one (1) ounce of PGM to the production stream.
- Commitments to recycling by businesses and government will help reduce waste, expand sustainable supply chains and help curtail emissions that contribute to global warming.
- Thanks to innovative companies like Red Fox Resources, PGM Recycling is not complex or costly. The benefits of a sustainable supply chain and reduced GHG emissions far exceed the costs of recycling.
- A commitment to recycling is not only good for business but good for the entire planet.
- PGM Recycling results in monetary gain for companies as ounces recycled are purchased by recycling companies like Red Fox Resources.
PGM Recycling in Action: Real-World Results
USE CASE: Company A*
- Since 2017, a medium/heavy-duty truck OEM has recycled over 9,000 ounces of PGM with Red Fox.
- Over 132,000 metric tons of ore were NOT mined for these precious materials.
- Offsets 31.5 million miles of CO2 emissions from passenger cars or 12,400 metric tons of CO2 was not emitted.
- Earned $5M in revenue through their emission parts recycling program.
USE CASE: Company B*
- A medium/heavy-duty truck OEM has recycled over 11,400 ounces of PGM with Red Fox since 2018.
- 168,000 metric tons of ore was NOT mined for these precious metals.
- Offsets of 39.9 million miles of CO2 emissions from passenger cars or 15,960 metric tons of CO2 were not emitted.
- Earned $8M in revenue through their emission parts recycling program.
*Note: Due to non-disclosure agreements, the company name cannot be disclosed.
Getting Started with PGM Recycling
Since 2014, Red Fox Resources has successfully focused on PGM recycling. As an industry leader, Red Fox Resources can help your company understand and quantify the PGM recycling benefits related to your ESG strategy.
Furthermore, with nearly a decade of PGM recycling experience, we can help design, manage, and execute a PGM recycling program tailored to your organization and ESG goals. To learn, contact Red Fox Resources to schedule an initial consultation.
More Other PGM Recycling Resources
As a leader in our industry, our experts are here to help. Please contact us if you need further assistance.
PICKUP Truck Owners: Please note, Red Fox Resources ONLY works with businesses, not individuals. If you are a pickup truck owner looking to recycle or sell a single DPF, please see this article on DPF Recycling for Pickup Truck Owners.
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