The climate tech company right° and the mechanical and plant engineering firm Dürr are working together to calculate the climate impact of paint shops for the automotive industry. The aim is to express the climate impact of painting as a degree Celsius figure. In addition, the climate impact of different painting concepts will be evaluated to enable comparisons. Going forward, automotive manufacturers will be able to use the results as a basis for decision-making when investing in painting technologies. An initial feasibility study has yielded positive results, prompting closer collaboration.
“The Dürr Group develops innovative technologies for climate-friendly automotive production. Together with right°, we want to quantify the climate impact of our painting technology products in the form of a simple degree figure. This enables us to support our customers even better in achieving their individual climate targets,” says Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, CEO of Dürr AG.
The X-Degree Compatibility (XDC) model by right° calculates the climate impact of an economic unit, for example a company or a factory. The result is expressed in a degree Celsius format that is both science-based and easy to understand. In the collaboration between right° and Dürr, a paint shop is viewed as an economic unit.
After developing the calculation approach in a preliminary project, it is now to be applied in practice. To this end, right° is developing a software prototype that Dürr can use to make the calculations available to its customers in a clear and transparent format. In addition, the degree figures for different painting concepts are currently being calculated.
“Energy-efficient painting technologies can make a major contribution to the decarbonization of automotive production. Being a quality supplier, it is important for us to quantify this contribution professionally. This means that our customers know exactly what impact their investments have on the climate,” says Hanjo Hermann, Head of Sustainability at Dürr AG.
The Dürr Group is part of a group of exclusively selected customers with whom right° is developing use cases for the XDC model with high potential for large-scale use. “By calculating the degree figure of an individual technology, we enable buyers to understand the climate impact of their investment. This allows investment decisions to be made with a specific focus on their contribution to the 1.5°C target. And this, in turn, is necessary for more capital to be invested effectively in the climate transition,” says Hannah Helmke, co-founder and CEO of right°.
The results of the project are expected in the fourth quarter of 2024.
XDC model
The X-Degree Compatibility (XDC) model developed by right° calculates the climate impact of an economic unit and expresses the result in a °C format that is easy to understand. The climate performance of the unit is calculated by comparing its economic emission intensity with a 1.5°C benchmark. By scaling the performance to a global level, it is then possible to calculate the amount of emissions that would be released into the atmosphere if the world had the same performance as the unit. Finally, a climate model converts the emissions into a °C figure, which can be directly related to the 1.5°C target as the climate impact of the unit.
SOURCE: Dürr
