Beyond Gravity’s Journey Towards a More Sustainable Future

“Beyond Gravity places Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations at the forefront of its agenda, recognizing the intrinsic connection between the company's economic success and its responsibility to the planet and its people”, says André Wall, CEO Beyond Gravity. The publication of the company’s sustainability report 2023 as well as the defined roadmap to net zero until 2026 demonstrate Beyond Gravity's dedication to responsible corporate governance as a top priority. 

Roadmap to Net Zero

The company estimates that its total annual greenhouse gas emissions across all scopes amounted to approximately 69‘860 tons of CO2-eq (tCO2-eq) in 2023. The majority of Beyond Gravity's emissions originate from activities within its value chain. Emissions from direct operations and purchased energy amounted to approximately 1'239 t CO2-eq.

“As part of its near-term targets over the next three years, Beyond Gravity will focus on reducing emissions within its own operations, referred to as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. These represent a small proportion of the company’s total emissions, but they are under our direct control”, says David Hierzer, ESG Director at Beyond Gravity. As the company embarks on its net zero journey, it has decided to concentrate efforts through 2026 on eliminating these emissions as a first step. Additionally, Beyond Gravity is striving to reduce Scope 3 emissions, focusing on pilot projects such as the new headquarters at Zurich Airport's "Circle" (primarily accessible by public transport) or supplier engagement to reduce carbon emissions within the Lithography division. Scope 3 efforts also cover responsible sourcing of materials, encouraging employees to use public transportation, facilitating the recovery and reuse of payload fairings, or consciously selecting goods with minimal waste and a focus on recycling.

Sustainable Footprint Across Beyond Gravity’s Sites

Across its 14 sites worldwide, Beyond Gravity is committed to implementing sustainable practices that minimize environmental impact while maximizing operational efficiency. For instance, the company is implementing a green power switch at its manufacturing sites in Decatur and Titusville in the USA, as well as in Coswig, Germany. This transition involves the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to secure 100% renewable electricity, primarily sourced from wind and solar power. It will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of these sites. 

By moving into modern office and production buildings in Zurich (Switzerland), Linköping (Sweden); and Lisbon (Portugal), Beyond Gravity is switching to fully renewable energy for heating and electricity while maximizing energy efficiency. The company is also taking significant steps to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions across its operations and facilities. By 2026, it aims to replace fossil fuel heating sources with electrically powered renewable alternatives in Vienna (Austria) and Coswig (Germany). 

Through sustainable partnerships, Beyond Gravity is working with facility owners in Emmen (Switzerland) and Tampere (Finland), to transition to renewable energy-powered heating solutions, aiming to significantly reduce carbon footprints by 2024 and beyond.

Details of the individual CO2 savings from these measures can be found in Beyond Gravity's roadmap to net zero.

Ongoing Contributions to Environmental Understanding

While actively exploring sustainable business models for the future, Beyond Gravity takes pride in its ongoing contributions to a better understanding of our environment. In this context, the company is involved in space missions such as the European Copernicus Earth Observation Program, European weather satellites or NASA climate satellites like the ocean-monitoring PACE. Beyond Gravity also plays a pivotal role in ESA's HERA mission aimed at testing techniques to safeguard Earth from potential asteroid collisions. Additionally, the company is contributing to further crucial missions like the ESA EarthCARE earth observation satellite, the ESA Biomass mission, or the space debris removal spacecraft Astroscale ELSA-m. With its products for many missions, Beyond Gravity is committed to recognizing and meeting the evolving needs of the sustainability sector.