Sustainability – it’s our mission.
Sustainability is at the core of Hexigone’s business. Our Intelli-ion® anti-corrosive additives replace heavy metals, phosphates, and toxic chromates with highly effective, environmentally favourable organic additives.
Corrosion is a $2.2T global issue (NACE, 2016) and it is estimated that 40% of all new steel is used to replaced steel damaged or destroyed by corrosion, this equates to an estimated 3.2% of the worlds CO2 emissions on maintenance alone (C. Hoffmann, 2020).
Hexigone manufacturers high performing, chemically intelligent and sustainable corrosion inhibitors that protect metal assets for longer.
Our long-term vision is to “help create a safe and sustainable world” and be the new benchmark in anti-corrosion technology.
In the top 1% of all companies assessed
Hexigone has been awarded a Platinum rating by EcoVadis®, one of the world’s most recognised providers of business sustainability ratings.
Additionally, our product is REACH compliant - ensuring a high level of protection to human health and the environment.
Safe materials
The Intelli-ion® AX1 technology was created to replace toxic chromates and heavy metals from the coatings industry – offering a safe anti-corrosion solution to the market. The ‘active ingredient’ is a hazard level category 3 (i.e. no warning labels required) when in primer systems, unlike chromates and phosphates which are environmental level 1 and 2 respectively.
This means that Intelli-ion® creates a safer manufacturing environment for staff whilst being kinder on the planet through facilitating lower or no heavy metal content.
CO₂ emissions - Net Zero
Hexigone has been awarded the British Gas Zero Carbon electricity certificate which is a guarantee of original certificates and nuclear generator declarations to back each megawatt-hour of electricity that we are supplied. This means Hexigone can be confident that our business runs on Zero Carbon electricity.
To further demonstrate our commitment to sustainability, we have undergone a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) to generate an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for our product. The EPD transparently outlines the product's environmental impacts across its entire life cycle, from raw materials to disposal. Please read more about this in our blog “The Environmental Impact of Coatings - Understanding Hexigone's EPD rating”.
Hexigone has also joined “The Forest Carbon Club”. Forest Carbon leads the way in developing woodland creation and peatland restoration projects for carbon capture and ecosystem services in the UK. They have planted over 10.3 million new trees in 220+ new woodlands since 2006 with their partners removing over 2.1 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including habitat creation, biodiversity support, flood mitigation, river ecosystem improvement and public access.
In one cost analysis with an O&G refinery, it was found that just one of their offsite chemical storage tanks costs them $374,000 to repaint every 15 years due to corrosion. Thanks to AX1’s ability to increase metal asset longevity by c. 50% and therefore increase the life-cycle of the tank by 7 years, halving the maintenance costs per tank. Our customers have a direct impact on the worlds CO₂ emissions by using Intelli-ion® AX1 and prolonging the use of their metal assets.
Circular economy
Half of Intelli-ion's composition can be made up of recycled waste stream product from another industry, giving it a second life at the same time as offering the highest quality. Supplementing our manufacturing with recycled materials not only offers our customers circular economy credentials but also cost savings since there’s no exposure to the volatile commodity metals market.
Hexigone is a part of the Made in Britain network - a recognized mark of trusted, high-quality manufacturing and products from the UK. We take the quality control of our products very seriously, and to ensure our corrosion inhibitors meet the highest standards, each batch is tested in a UKAS accredited Quality Control Laboratory. Our product needs to pass three tests within very narrow limits for moisture levels, concentration of the active ingredients, and particle size.
The existing safety and environmental standards of our products and processes are always being evaluated and improved if and where possible.
Energy efficiency
Hexigone's HQ has been designed with energy efficiency in mind, achieving an A Rated Energy Performance, the most efficient rating possible. The energy reduction strategy of the office and manufacturing units involves reducing energy demand through thermally efficient building design, as well as supplying building systems with onsite renewable technology.
The manufacturing units are supplied by a 20kW solar PV system which is utilised within the building to offset CO₂ emissions and substantially supplement the power requirements. We now import on average 150kWh per week, while exporting around 1200kWh into the grid.
Heating in the building is supplied using a highly efficient Air Source Heat Pump that drives the underfloor heating and radiator system. This reduces the reliance of importing electricity from the National Grid and ensures that our manufacturing facilities run off low-carbon energy supplies where possible.
What our sustainability credentials mean for you and your customers:
In a competitive marketplace, with a pressure to deliver sustainable products – what does this mean for you and your customers?
Using Hexigone’s Intelli-ion® corrosion inhibitors will allow you to:
Offer customers increased product lifecycle of metal assets
Remove environmental warning labels from your products (e.g. ‘harmful to aquatic life’ label)
Reduce the toxic chemical handling risks at your production facilities
Showcase distinctive new sustainability credentials within your product portfolio
Cost-saving opportunities via phosphate co-blend formulations