The South African foundry sector, a key contributor to the manufacturing industry, could benefit immensely from the establishment of a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) data observatory. This is according to the Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) ICT Emerging Opportunities Manager, Merryl Ford.
Ford discussed this concept during the 2024 Sustainable Industries Conference – a manufacturing industry focused discussion on circularity and decarbonisation hosted by the National Cleaner Production Centre, South Africa (NCPC-SA).
A data observatory is a monitoring hub that collects and analyses data from various sources to track trends like environmental changes and industrial emissions, offering insights through continuous digital observation.
Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) ICT Emerging Opportunities Manager, Merryl Ford
Currently, South Africa lacks industry-specific GHG emission inventories, particularly for the foundry sector. This data gap poses a significant challenge, as many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector struggle with technical and financial barriers to GHG reporting. The absence of accurate and accessible reporting mechanisms often results in unreported emissions, making it difficult to track and manage the sector’s carbon footprint.
To bridge this gap, Ford propose an observatory that can adopt innovative approaches such as proxy emissions reporting. This method involves measuring inputs like electricity, gas, petrol, and diesel consumption and using emission factors to calculate overall emissions. Such an approach would bypass the need for costly continuous emissions monitoring systems, making it more feasible for SMEs.
Key opportunities for the foundry sector
Opportunities and benefits to establish the observatory are plenty. For example, Ford mentioned the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) compliance: “A dedicated GHG data observatory could offer an affordable and accessible CBAM reporting service, helping manufacturers comply with international standards and maintain competitiveness in global markets.”
Ford believes that by integrating digital transformation technologies, the observatory could support energy efficiency initiatives, ultimately improving the bottom line for a sector already grappling with rising energy costs, cheaper imports, and economic pressures.
Proof of concept solution
A proof of concept, which produced positive results, has already been developed by Ford and her team at the CSIR. The team worked with a local foundry to develop an emissions dashboard, involving a manual data collection due to limited time and funding. This trial produced reports, including a ‘dummy’ CBAM report showcasing the potential for competitiveness and the importance of adopting emerging technologies to improve industry practices.
“This initiative aimed to capture and analyse trusted, verifiable data directly from foundries, integrating it into a data lake alongside other external data sources. Through a data management and analytics platform, various knowledge products, such as decision-support tools, predictive analytics, and reporting tools, were created.”
“The observatory’s goal is to enable foundries to monitor their emissions, respond proactively, and help the broader industry, government, and national bodies aggregate and utilise data responsibly,” Ford explained.
As discussions continue, Ford calls on government and industry support programs to explore this concept further.
“Collaboration between industry leaders, policymakers, and research institutions will be crucial in turning this vision into a reality.”
Watch Ford’s full presentation and download it at no cost via the NCPC website, www.ncpc.co.za – Industrial Efficiency Conference 2024 – or catch up on missed sessions and find out how industry is addressing decarbonisation and circularity challenges.