Can Walloon industrial actors, thanks to their technological innovations, play a role in preserving our planet ? Even if technological progress alone will not be able to solve the current climate challenges, some Walloon companies are already making headway in confronting the ecological and economic challenges.
Over the period 2000-2013, the sectors of the Walloon technology industry have reduced their CO² emissions by around 25% on average, and new commitments have been made up to 2020 to continue on this path. Moreover, the Roadmap 2050 study estimates that CO² emissions from the technology industry could fall by an additional 66% by 2050, representing a total reduction of 75% compared to the start of the century.
However, on top of these significant reductions in their CO² emissions, Walloon industrial actors can play a crucial role in preserving our planet, without sacrificing our well-being. Two Walloon companies have already started.
One example is Stûv, a manufacturer of heating stoves in Bois-de-Villers, which has designed a pellet stove that is surely the least polluting on the market, generating four times fewer fine particles than the EU regulation that will come into force in 2022, and twenty times less CO² than the forthcoming EU standard.
Another example is the Comet group, which has recently inaugurated the first CA+ approved vehicle pollution control centre in Wallonia. It is also equipped to dismantle traction batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles safely and efficiently, in line with regulation, and ecologically, at the end of their useful life. In addition, the company processes around 250,000 tonnes of shredder residue every year at its various sites, and more than 95% of scrap vehicles is reinjected into the circular economy. The group also works with Citius Engineering, a Walloon company specialised in developing industrial applications. Their goal is to validate and then commercialise an innovative robotic metal sorting process, with the promise of optimising recycling rates for third parties.
So Walloon actors are the proof that Wallonia can make a significant contribution to the challenge of climate change by developing new technologies, and above all thanks to its high capacity for innovation.
