SUSTAINABILITY
To drive the evolution to a circular economy, the Australian government is backing schemes to modernise and transform how waste is managed and treated under the
National Waste Policy Action Plan.
According to CSIRO research, Australia generated 75.8 megatonnes (Mt) of total waste in 2020-21,
with 32.8 Mt attributable to commercial and industrial waste.
As one of the world’s leading omni wheel manufacturers, exporting our products to more than 50 countries, responsibly managing our impacts to society and supporting a fair transition to a net zero waste economy is fundamental to our business operations and plan.
Our Current Focus Areas
We are improving our sustainability performance but acknowledge there is much to do and will continue evolving our approach. At present our key areas of focus are:
• Design
• Production manufacturing
• Consumption
• Residual Waste
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DESIGN
OMNIA’s wheels are one of the most robust and durable wheels of their kind.
Their durability is a combined result of our patented design, manufacturing processes and high quality polymer materials.
To withstand the toughest of environments and applications the highest level of structural integrity is required, so our wheels are built to last. Not only to ensure optimal performance for our markets but also to reduce the disposability of our product and reduce future landfill volume.
We are conscious of the non-renewable petro-chemical resources associated with the manufacture of plastic granules. Our goal, looking forward, is to source and use recycled materials in the making of our products, without compromise to performance and longevity of use. However, at this point in time, only engineered polymers are suitable to meet the commercial use requirements of our omni wheels.
Production Manufacturing
As a manufacturer of polymer products, we have a significant responsibility to minimise our environmental impact:
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injection moulding processes are energy intensive: plastic granules need to be heated to form parts and the parts need to be quickly cooled to harden.
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waste in our manufacturing process can have long term non-biodegradable effects.
To manage the environmental impacts associated with our manufacturing, we have implemented a number of programs, and welcome discussions with organisations committed to partnering towards achieving more sustainable outcomes.
400 solar panel renewable energy installation at OMNIA manufacturing facility, Beresfield, NSW, Australia
RENEWABLE
ENERGY USE
OMNIA™ is committed to manufacturing in Australia and preserving our non-renewable resources. Our factory is a 10,000sqm site at Beresfield, NSW, Australia, on traditional Awabakal land.
One of our early environmental initiatives was installing solar panels on the 3,400sqm of built roof space. Our operations require around 330 MWh of electricity each year. By investing in a 400 panel solar system, more than 90% of our annual energy use (306 MWh) is now renewable energy, with overflow solar power being sent back to the grid, offsetting electricity use in our wider community.
WAGING A WAR
AGAINST WASTE
As a responsible manufacturer, we have invested in both waste avoidance and waste reduction technology.
Our earlier manufacturing processes injected molten plastic into multi-cavity tools via cold runner systems. This generated considerable waste by producing a by-product plastic runner in addition to the desired component part. Regrinding and reusing the waste plastic runner was possible, but only once, and in small amounts. Ultimately, more waste was produced in the next process that could only be sent to an external plastic waste recycler
or landfill.
To solve this problem, we invested in state-of-the-art injection moulding technologies, and to date, we have reduced our plastic waste by 4.8t a year.
The advanced hot runner technology maintains the resin in
a molten state within the mould runner system; completely eliminating the waste plastic previously associated with the
solid cold runner.
Further investment in new energy efficient moulding machines, automation and moulding tools, due to be commissioned by the end of 2023, will avoid 142.9t of waste each year, an 80% reduction in production waste.
The benefits of these initiatives allow us to be betters caretakers of our planet for future generations, but they also deliver big cost saving and productivity results for our business.
Plastic runner waste produced by previous manufacturing process is completely eliminated with the new hot runner system.
PARTNERSHIPS
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) has provided both technical and financial support to identify opportunities to reduce our environmental impact and access government funding to support sustainable manufacturing practices.
With anticipated production demand growth for the 2024 financial year of 100% compared to last year, our environmental stewardship has never been more important.
Beyond profit, the focus remains on revolutionizing omni directional wheels and making tasks effortless for people. As OMNIA™
rolls ahead with green initiatives, it's not just our wheels that are turning; we're reshaping the path to a greener, more responsible future.
