Bourns was founded on the guiding principles of delivering exceptional quality and value along with a commitment to excellence. These company values continue to shape the high ethical standards and operating culture at Bourns. The belief that we can help make the world a better place today than it was yesterday is the driving concept propelling us to continually refine our business practices and procedures in building a strong and successful sustainability program.
Environmental Management and Compliance
One of Bourns’ fundamental roles as an integral member of the global community is protecting the environment and keeping it safe for generations to come. Therefore, we look to balance our decisions and business objectives to determine how the materials we use and our products will affect the world today and in the future.
We work closely with our customers, suppliers and partners to minimize how our products, manufacturing processes and other areas of our operations impact the environment. Furthermore, the company is committed to complying with all applicable environmental and product compliance laws and regulations worldwide. We also continue to look for ways to reduce the amount of raw materials used in operations and will reuse, rather than dispose of, whenever possible. As a matter of policy, Bourns promotes recycling and the use of recycled materials.
Programs that Have Made a Difference
In 2021, Bourns KK in Japan joined the Apple Clean Energy Program and is committed to power all of its Apple production with 100 percent clean energy.
In February 2021, the Bourns office in Taufkirchen, Germany replaced its office lighting with LED lighting, which resulted in a 30% energy consumption reduction.
The kiln operations at the Bourns Electronics (Taiwan) Ltd. facility decreased its power consumption by a total of 550,799 kWh of energy in 2021 reducing its carbon emissions by approximately 276 tons. The Taiwan facility also increased its recycling materials, including paper, iron, plastic, etc., from 28.02 tons in 2020 to 30.32 tons in 2021. This increase in recycled materials results in a reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 46.876 tons.
The Bourns Trimpot Electronicas Limitada plant in Costa Rica has consistently reduced its carbon emissions from 2017 to 2021 through a variety of environmental programs. For example, in 2021, it was able to significantly reduce the facility’s raw material waste by a huge 1,270%. For the third consecutive year, the Bourns Costa Rica facility received the Costa Rica National Blue Flag Award. This award is presented annually by the Government of Costa Rica to companies for their work in environmental protection, and the implementation of actions to mitigate climate change, the search for better hygienic sanitary conditions and the improvement of public health.
The Bourns Bedford UK manufacturing facility initiated a plan in 2021 to reduce the amount of scrap it creates. The yearly savings the facility expects to achieve in total scrap reduction is estimated at £24,723 (or approximately USD $34,400).
In 2021, Bourns de Mexico – Tijuana developed an energy reduction and sustainability plan to help reduce the effects of global warming and climate change. The plan included a change to a green energy supplier, an enhanced project management system to reduce energy consumption and further optimization of its HVAC usage. The result is a substantial reduction in electrical consumption and a total saving of six million Mexican pesos (about USD $315,000) per year.
The Bourns Dongguan China facility implemented a scrap copper and tin reduction program. Since its inception, the Dongguan facility has been able to considerably reduce its scrap waste and save approximately $203,000 per year.