Planet
Restoring the health of our planet, together
The world is facing critical challenges connected to climate change. Protecting the planet is our responsibility and a necessity. Seeking opportunities in every corner of our business and new ways to empower our customers, we will rethink and reduce, cut our carbon footprint by 55% by 2029, and manage our environmental impact.
Cutting our carbon footprint
Businesses must play a major role in combatting climate change. Materialise is determined to lead the way in the 3D printing industry. In 2024, our near-term science-based targets were approved, and by 2029, we will cut our 20,160* tonnes of 2019 greenhouse gas emissions from our worldwide operations by 55%.
Rethinking and reducing
By rethinking our production and consumption habits, we can minimize waste in all its forms – time, energy, material – and increase reusing and recycling. By 2025, our production waste as compared to output will be less than 5%, and by 2030, of the products we print, 98% will be recyclable. Our overall goal is to streamline our own processes and through dynamic collaboration and innovation, support our customers to do the same.
Optimizing production processes
Guided by our extensive experience in AM process control, we enable our customers to optimize their production processes. Innovations like our AM technology and material that allows us to utilize more re-used powder than ever before, and our Quality and Process Control software help eliminate waste in the 3D printing process.
Alongside our partners at Arkema, we are extending the life cycle of polyamide powder by turning unsalvageable waste powder into pellets for use in injection molding.
Focusing on sustainable projects
Our commitment to reducing our CO2 footprint leads us to other sustainability projects worldwide. We’re supporting the restoration of peatlands in Ukraine — vegetation that can store seven times as much CO2 as forests and promote biodiversity — and we're exploring more peat restoration projects in countries like Malaysia and Colombia.
Performing life cycle assessments
We carry out life cycle assessments (LCAs) to help us understand the environmental impact through all stages of a product’s life. They’re key to identifying the best practices and opportunities for innovation.
Thanks to lower inventory costs, shorter lead times, reduced energy consumption, and less manual labor, we found that selective laser sintering (SLS) is the ideal technology for mass-customized eyewear. Additionally, we found that 3D printing is more advantageous when producing smaller or customized series, particularly for midsoles.
Reusing and recycling
We’re reducing our environmental footprint for all our products with low-impact, high-protection packaging. Our goal is to minimize waste, limit the use of non-renewable resources, and encourage responsible disposal practices.
Three-tiered approach
Reducing
Reducing will come through a focus on the largest contributors to our footprint, Scope 3 and Scope 2 emissions (GHG Protocol), and new initiatives including a carbon budget, sustainable travel policy, and conversion to green energy.
Innovating
Continued research and innovations such as our Bluesint PA12 will support these changes.
Offsetting
Any remaining carbon emissions will be offset in a way that sustainably supports the communities in which we do business.
Managing our environmental impact
Through our Environmental Policy and our ISO 14001:2015 certificate, we have made an official commitment to protect the environment and to comply with European environmental legislation, regulations, and customer-specific requirements in all of our operations, processes, and services.
Explore our other focus areas
Our aim is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. As well as working to restore the health of our planet, we also focus on the following areas:
We recognize the important role we play, both for our workers and the communities around us, and are committed to helping create a more just, inclusive, and healthy society.
We believe that forging strong and mutually beneficial partnerships is critical to making a meaningful difference and achieving our sustainability objectives.
By using business as a force for good, we aim to ensure a positive impact for all our stakeholders. Discover our financial impact and results on our investor relations website.
Being transparent about the overall impact of 3D printing helps us and our customers firmly embed sustainability into everything we do.
As a Signatory of the UN Global Compact, we’ve pledged to continually improve the integration of the UN’s Principles and SDGs into our business strategy, culture, and daily operations.