Sustainability

Sustainable lightweighting for a more sustainable future

At Bcomp, we are keen to make an impact and be a part of the solution for cleaner mobility. Many of our operations are touching upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and we are not only looking to our own operations, but also to the significant impact we enable others to have over the lifecycle of the final products. Based on the UN SDGs, we are currently developing processes and KPIs to measure and proactively maximise Bcomp's and our customers’ impact of the ESG framework to drive a more sustainable future.

85% reduction of the cradle-to-gate CO2 footprint thanks to the use of sustainable material

50% reduction in weight therefore increasing energy efficiency and range of vehicles

70% reduction in the use of plastic

Fibre

Flax is an indigenous plant that grows naturally in Europe and has been part of the agricultural history for centuries. It requires very little water and nutrients to grow successfully. In addition, it acts as a rotational crop, thus enhancing harvests on existing farmland. Neither cultivation nor processing of the flax plants requires any chemicals that could contaminate ground water and harvesting is a completely mechanical process. After harvesting the entire flax plant can be used for feed, to make oil and its fibres are especially used for home textiles and clothing. The long fibre that comes from the flax plant possesses very good mechanical properties and outstanding damping properties in relation to its density, making it especially suited as a natural fibre reinforcement for all kinds of polymers.

Production

The harvesting and processing of flax takes place locally in the rural areas it was grown in. Using European flax sourced through our well established and transparent supply chain allows us to support the economic and social structure in rural areas thanks to the large and skilled workforce required to sustain the flax production. When it comes to the production of our technical products like the powerRibs™ reinforcement grid, Bcomp is investing in local production capacities close to its headquarters in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland, thus creating new jobs and maintaining technical know-how in the area. The production is built to be as efficient as possible and with minimal environmental impact and waste. Further strengthening the local economy, Bcomp aims to hire local companies for missions and with the headquarters being located in Fribourg’s “Blue Factory” district, Bcomp can both benefit from and contribute to the development of this sustainable and diverse quarter that provides a flourishing space for culture, innovation, economy and everyday life.

Bcomp

Bcomp strives to create an extraordinary work environment, where employees find themselves in a safe workplace with equal chances and opportunities and are encouraged to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Education is at the base of future innovations and solutions, so Bcomp is contributing by giving lectures at various universities, offering internship opportunities in various fields of the company and collaborating closely with universities and institutions on research projects. By committing to the location in Fribourg and its economic environment, Bcomp is creating local jobs and opportunities. In the office as well as the workshop we strive to keep our consumption responsible. Being part of the Fair Trade Town Fribourg, we strictly recycle and reduce unnecessary consumption and waste where possible. At the same time, we encourage our employees to use responsible means of transportation and enable them to work from home in order to reduce the stress and impact of daily commuting. Operating by the principle of Play Naturally Smart, the employees of Bcomp are encouraged to pay attention to their work life balance and the importance of freedom, leisure, sports, and hobbies as well as family time. Everyone working at Bcomp is passionate about making a change and is giving their best every day to create high performance solutions from natural materials for a sustainable future.

As an employer, Bcomp is committed to creating a highly talented work force. It invests in students through lectures, internships, masters and PhD projects, and collaborations with universities (SDG 4). Bcomp offers equal opportunities to all and demands a respectful workplace (SDG 10). As a business partner and community member, Bcomp acts in a transparent and fair way (SDG 16) and looks for opportunities to work with other companies and community organizations (SDG 17).

Enabler

Bcomp’s by far largest impact lies in enabling its customers to significantly decrease the environmental footprint of their products – from sports gear and racing cars to yachts and road cars. While the technologies used and thus characteristics differ, our ampliTex™ and powerRibs™ technologies generally enable improved performance by:

Using sustainable materials – and using less material (dematerialization) thanks to its properties - significantly reduces the cradle-to-gate CO2 footprint (by up to 85%).
Reducing weight (by up to 50%) and thus the energy required to move it – for example extending the range of an electric car – thus reducing CO2 emissions during usage.
Enabling viable end-of-life options like thermal energy recovery without residual waste rather than going to landfill, thus minimizing impact after use.
Reducing use of plastic by up to 70%.
Improving safety with a ductile crash behaviour and no sharp shattering.

Customers are able to stick to the same established and trusted manufacturing process and moulds used for conventional carbon fibre composites with the difference being, that they can reduce their waste and costs as many of the traditional consumables like breathers and bleeders become obsolete with our technologies. Additionally, workers benefit from improved and safer working conditions without any toxic carbon dust and the comfort that comes from working with a natural material.

Bcomp's commitment to developing high-performance products supports economic growth (SDG 8) in new industries like green mobility and it is making significant investments in innovation (SDG 9) to achieve its product development goals.

As it develops new products, Bcomp designs them in such a way as to minimize climate impact (SDG 13) and address the impact of the product all along its life (SDG 12).

Certifications

Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label

Certified by the Solar Impulse Foundation as part of the #1000solutions that can protect the environment in a profitable way. This label assessed by independent experts, focuses on economic profitability and environment sustainability for a clean economic growth.

ISO 9001 :2015 Certification

Based on the company goals and objectives, the processes, procedures and responsibilities developed within the framework of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification are a testament to our customer centricity and how we strive to deliver the highest quality products and services at all times.

Fair Trade Town Fribourg

The Fair Trade Town label enables the City of Fribourg and Bcomp to demonstrate its commitment to fair trade and responsible consumption.

Learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Learn more