Honeywell’s goal on carbon neutrality is reflected in its century-long track record of innovating to make the world a better place. In 2021, the US based Honeywell set a bold target to achieve carbon neutrality in their operations and facilities by 2035. To reach this ambitious goal, the company globally allocates around $50 million each year to internal projects that support this target, including converting to renewable energy sources, completing capital improvement projects at their sites, electrifying their fleet of company vehicles, and using credible carbon offsets.
“Since 2004, we have achieved 90 percent reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of our operations and facilities. This demonstrates our dedication to making tangible progress and exceeding our sustainability targets. Over the years, we have completed over 5,700 sustainability projects, resulting in annualized cost savings of $100 million,” Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell India, told Financial Express Online.
According to him, the company’s commitment to sustainability extends to their product development as well. Approximately 50 percent of their new product research and development is focused on creating solutions that enhance environmental and social outcomes for their customers, ensuring that the company contributes positively to a more sustainable future.
Following are excerpts of an interaction:
What are the brand’s goals in terms of carbon neutrality and how is the progress so far?
Our products leverage our history of innovation and know-how to help our customers reduce their environmental footprints. We have the technology to produce green fuels, hydrogen-oriented technologies, carbon capture, and energy storage – all solutions that are available now for customers world-wide.
As we move forward on our journey to carbon neutrality, we continuously reevaluate, reinvent, and optimize our strategies. We are actively investigating and addressing carbon emissions throughout our supply chain, working collaboratively to make a lasting impact.
At Honeywell, we firmly believe that the future is shaped by our actions today. Our collective effort to preserve the environment underscores our shared purpose, and we are fully dedicated to making a difference. We understand that achieving carbon neutrality requires investment, innovation, and unwavering commitment. Together, we can drive positive change and create a more sustainable world for generations to come.
What according to Honeywell will be the impact of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on the environmental footprint of air transportation?
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) holds immense promise in revolutionizing air transportation and making a significant impact on its environmental footprint. Aircraft emissions contribute about 3 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, the need for sustainable solutions is evident, with projected impacts set to increase by 50 percent in the next two decades due to an estimated 10 billion passengers flying annually by 2050.
To address this challenge, Honeywell is spearheading game-changing initiatives like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a low-carbon alternative that can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent. Honeywell UOP’s groundbreaking SAF process, fueled by renewable feedstocks, achieved a significant milestone with the first passenger flight entirely powered by SAF on a United Airlines 737 MAX 8.
The primary advantage of SAF lies in its ability to drastically lower greenhouse gas emissions. Through its lifecycle, including production, distribution, and combustion, SAF has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 80 percent, offering a substantial reduction in the industry’s carbon footprint.
Enhanced energy security is another notable benefit of SAF. Derived from renewable feedstocks like mustard seeds, sugar cane, and used cooking oil, SAF’s production diversifies the sources of aviation fuel, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and bolstering energy security.
SAF goes beyond emissions reduction and positively impacts air quality. With lower sulfur content, it leads to decreased emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter, resulting in improved air quality around airports and along flight paths. As the aviation industry seeks ways to reduce carbon emissions and embrace sustainability, SAF emerges as a compelling alternative to traditional petroleum-based jet fuel.
The sustainability of SAF is a key factor in its favor. It can be produced from various sustainable feedstocks, such as non-food crops, agricultural residues, and waste materials, mitigating concerns about land use and potential competition with food production.
Embracing SAF marks a significant step for the aviation sector, exemplifying its commitment to reducing its environmental impact and adopting cleaner practices. The potential of SAF to revolutionize air transportation and contribute significantly to the global fight against climate change inspires the aviation industry to play a vital role in this journey toward a more sustainable future. By embracing SAF, the aviation sector strives to soar to new heights of environmental responsibility and contribute meaningfully to a greener and cleaner world.
What are the other energy-saving projects undertaken for the aerospace segment by Honeywell beyond SAF?
Honeywell is at the forefront of pioneering energy-saving projects to create a greener aviation landscape. Going beyond SAF, Honeywell is adapting propulsion engines on business aircraft and helicopters, and auxiliary power units (APUs) on airlines, to operate on SAF as a drop-in replacement for conventional fuels. Honeywell APUs have already been certified to run on a 50 percent SAF blend, with efforts underway to achieve 100% SAF-level certification.
In parallel, Honeywell continually enhances engines and APUs running on fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the HGT1700 APU on the Airbus A350 consumes 6-10 percent less fuel than comparable units, demonstrating the company’s dedication to fuel efficiency.
Honeywell is also exploring cutting-edge technologies to further minimize aviation’s environmental impact, including hydrogen fuel cells as potential replacements for multiple power generation systems on aircraft and hybrid electric power generation.
Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency plays a pivotal role in optimizing airlines’ fuel usage by identifying the quickest and most effective flight routes while tracking emissions for environmental reporting requirements.
With a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity since implementing its sustainability system in 2004, Honeywell’s commitment to sustainability is evident. Approximately half of its research and development investments are directed toward creating products that improve environmental, safety, and social outcomes for customers and the planet.
The company continues to drive innovations that will revolutionize air travel and lead the way toward a more sustainable future for aviation. With a steadfast focus on sustainable initiatives, Honeywell is shaping the trajectory of the industry toward a greener and more responsible horizon.
Please elaborate on Honeywell’s growth in India vis-à-vis Honeywell globally.
Honeywell India has a strong presence in all four global Strategic Business Units in India along with our largest Innovation and Engineering Centers employing over 13,000 employees of which 7000 are engineers. With a diversified portfolio of short to long cycle businesses, we can maintain a healthy balance. During and Post Covid, our diversified portfolio has helped us tide well and brave the rough storms and we have seen steady growth in our businesses.
With the Indian economy on a steady growth path, we see India as a high growth region and continue to strengthen our business in the country. With strong macros in the country ranging from – growth in the middle income group, to infrastructure development, and urbanization, the government’s focus on digitalization and sustainability, as well as rebounding economic activity, is reflecting well in our business growth opportunities.
We see strong business opportunities in Aero backed by growing demand in both aviation and defense. Infrastructure growth and urbanization is leading to a demand for Building Technology solutions and specifically for energy management systems that help in both safe and sustainable buildings.
Honeywell’s Performance management technology business pioneered automation control. We understand complex industrial facilities and create high-quality and high-performance chemicals and materials. With a keen focus on Sustainability, our utility solutions and technologies help reduce CO2 emissions, increase the energy grid’s lifetime and foster energy equity. We’re helping create resilient and sustainable operations for our customers across the globe.
Lastly our Safety and Productivity business helps our customers in e-commerce and data centres drive better productivity and safety of its assets and resources. Honeywell’s unique portfolio of automation, software, and labor productivity tools has been a driving force for logistics and warehousing operations around the world for 30+ years.
Honeywell’s growth in India is a testament to our commitment to driving positive change in the country and beyond. We are proud of our 9 decades-long legacy in the country and are now looking to support the sustainability ambition of the country with ready now technologies like Energy Storage Systems for efficient use of renewable power, Green Hydrogen, SAFs, Carbon Capture Technologies, Advanced Emission Monitoring to prevent harmful gas leaks and finally to our advanced chemicals like HFOs that have low-GWP (global warming potential). These are some of the many areas that are enabling us to offer advanced technologies to help the country achieve its carbon-neutral ambition. Riding these opportunities, we expect to double our growth in the next five years.
How does Honeywell plan to work with the Indian government and other stakeholders in the region?
Our 9 decades of presence in India has been a testimony of our strong government partnership across multiple sectors from aviation, defense, Oil & Gas, etc. We collaborate with the Indian government in many areas to enable the country’s progress and growth.
With a strong engineering base in India through HTS (Honeywell Technology Solutions), we have been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge products and solutions in aerospace, building technologies, safety, and productivity solutions, and performance materials for over 25 years.
Our talented engineers in India are currently engaged in high-impact software projects, including cyber security, data analytics, augmented reality, edge-cloud communications, mobility applications, and integrating voice and sound capabilities into our offerings. These projects lie at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds, ensuring Honeywell remains at the forefront of technological advancements.
HTS operates four centers of excellence across India, located in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurugram, and Madurai. Leveraging the country’s diverse top engineering and technology talent, these centers support Honeywell’s businesses globally.
To cater to the evolving demands of industries in different geographies, Honeywell adopts a dual strategy – East-for-East (E4E) and East-to-Rest (E2R). By innovating, designing, manufacturing in India for the Indian market, and extending tailored solutions to regions like Latin America, we bring value and efficiency to industries specific to each location.
Honeywell is also keen on targeting India’s growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through our Mass Mid Segment (MMS) offering. As SMEs are expected to contribute significantly to India’s GDP, we have introduced the Impact by Honeywell brand to cater to this segment. With a dedicated organization in Pune, we aim to provide technologies that enhance energy efficiency, productivity, compliance, and profits for mid-size customers.
Our commitment to working closely with the Indian government and stakeholders is integral to Honeywell’s vision of driving innovation and delivering tailor-made solutions that positively impact businesses and communities in the region and beyond.