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C. Hafner striving for a carbon-neutral future

At Aktiv Guld, we focus a great deal of attention on sustainability. The partners we choose to deal with are therefore of great importance. One of our biggest dealers in the field of precious metals, C. Hafner, is currently working on a number of initiatives that will bring the company closer to a carbon-neutral future.

Big consequences for the environment

For many centuries, gold has been mined without taking social aspects or the environment into account. This has resulted in the felling of forest and rain forest, removal and erosion of topsoil and the pollution of water and watercourses.

At C. Hafner, a distinction is made between primary gold and secondary gold: primary gold originates from mining, whilst secondary gold is recycled gold - i.e. gold from old jewellery and metal waste from the jewellery and dental industry.

100% recycled gold

A crucial element in the green transition is the way in which we exploit nature’s resources. A study has shown that recycled gold has a carbon footprint that is 99,8 % lower than gold which is sourced from mining. As a result, C. Hafner exclusively uses recycled gold. The old gold thus undergoes a refining process where it is cleaned and transformed into pure gold.

Before commencing the refining process, the old gold is analysed. If this analysis identifies the presence of primary gold, this is removed and returned to the customer, thus ensuring that C. Hafner can guarantee that its production consists exclusively of 100% recycled gold.

Carbon-neutral technology

The recycling process takes place at C. Hafner’s plant in Pforzheim, where the development of carbon-neutral technology is the primary area of focus.

The plant uses 100% electricity from renewable energy sources, surplus heat from the refining process is reused by means of heat exchangers, raw materials such as nitric acid are reprocessed and effluents are treated in a modern filter system. These are just some of the initiatives that C. Hafner has launched in order to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality.

You can read much more about C. Hafner’s efforts to realise a carbon-neutral future at www.c-hafner.de.

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