We strive to be a leader in sustainability within our industry and to contribute to our customers' sustainability journey.
We focus on five key pillars:
- Greener procurement, both for the metal we purchase and for the energy we use.
- Greener production, by reducing emissions, waste, and the consumption of natural resources in our processes.
- Greener products, helping our customers achieve their sustainability goals with lightweight, smart, and efficient solutions that offer high transparency regarding their ecological footprint.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), where the well-being of employees within our organization and in the value chain plays a central role, as well as the communities in which we live and work.
- Circularity and recycling, by continuously improving and increasing recycling capacity and collaborating with our customers and partners to close the loop.
We would like to highlight a few initiatives that contribute to a more sustainable choice. Where possible, these initiatives are supported by labels and certifications independently verified by a third party:
Hydro's light poles and related products are made of Hydro Recycled Aluminium, produced in our own Hydro recycling unit in Drunen. This is aluminium that consists of a high percentage of recycled material, both pre-consumer scrap (process scrap) and post-consumer scrap (End-of-Life scrap) and a small percentage of primary aluminium. We issue an annual declaration about the exact composition of Hydro Recycled Aluminium.
It takes a lot of energy to produce primary aluminium, but the process of recycling aluminium requires only 5% of the energy required for the production of primary aluminium. At the Drunen location, in addition to our mast factory, we have an extrusion factory and our own recycling unit. Everything under one roof! This offers an excellent starting position for closing cycles, transparency about material composition and direct sustainability initiatives in the chain.
Through the Closing the Loop (Take Back) system, we can take back your written-off light poles and return all materials to the cycle.
Closing loops is an important step towards material circularity, which reduces the need for natural resources. The Hydro Closing the Loop system collects used light poles, after which all materials are separated, recycled and reused. We process the aluminium in the Hydro recycling units. By participating in the system, our customers contribute to a circular economy, and valuable aluminium is retained for the European / local market.
ASI is the quality mark for aluminium. The ASI standards assess the sustainability performance of companies in every phase of the value chain. The Hydro location Drunen is certified according to the ASI Performance Standard and the ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard.
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a global non-profit organisation and certification organisation that aims to improve sustainability throughout the aluminium value chain. ASI has developed an independent certification system for responsible aluminium production to ensure that sustainability and human rights principles are increasingly embedded in the production, use and recycling of aluminium.
At Hydro, we strive to respect environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria at our site and in the supply chain and to implement responsible purchasing practices. The Hydro site in Drunen has an EcoVadis score that is rewarded with a platinum medal.
EcoVadis is an online platform that helps companies assess their sustainability performance across four themes: environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The EcoVadis rating allows companies to compare their ESG performance.
Sustainability is the starting point when designing our light poles. The materials are safe for people and the environment and fully recyclable at the end of their lifespan. Hydro light poles and VRI solutions are Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified® silver.
Cradle to Cradle Certified® is a global standard for products that are produced safely, circularly and responsibly. The Cradle to Cradle Certified® program is an ongoing process and challenges us to continue to improve on all key points of the program: material composition, material circularity, energy and CO2 compensation, water management and social responsibility.
Contribute to the circular economy with Cradle to Cradle Certified light poles | Hydro
Transparency about the environmental impact of our products helps our customers to achieve their sustainability goals. We have Environmental Footprint Declarations (EPDs) based on the results of a life cycle analysis (LCA) containing the environmental effects/MKI values of our masts. Hydro light masts are included in the National Environmental Database (NMD), and are therefore also visible in DuboCalc. With a validated calculation tool, developed for Hydro based on LCA-verified data, we can calculate the environmental impact of the mast types that you purchase from us, specifically for the customer.
Updated: 10 February 2025
