Quest Group companies design and operate their environmentally responsible businesses and implement practices to save money. They adhere to the principles of the United Nations Climate Change Pact and aim at sustainable operation and production of products, while also helping their clients reduce their own environmental footprint. The Group has an Environmental Policy and in addition Info Quest Technologies, Uni Systems and ACS, have implemented an ISO 14001: 2015 integrated environmental management system. The focus of the Group companies is on reducing energy consumption, recycling and reducing ACS air pollutants.
Energy Efficiency
In the Quest Group, energy consumption is systematically measured and the Sustainable Development Report sets annual targets for its reduction. Actions are being systematically implemented to upgrade the building and technological infrastructure - gradually replacing LED bulbs, replacing old energy-efficient appliances, installing automated electricity control systems - with the aim of continually reducing the energy consumed. In 2018, the above operations were completed for one of the Group's main buildings, which houses approximately 200 employees on Argyroupoleos Street in Kallithea.
In addition, the Group has installed photovoltaics on the roofs of two 190 kW buildings to generate green energy offsets. Photovoltaic plants in 2018 produced 273,000 kWh of electricity, representing 20% of the energy consumed by the two buildings.
It is worth mentioning that in the new ACS green building licensed after bioclimatic study it is foreseen to utilize all modern possibilities of using systems and materials that contribute to energy saving, such as use of exclusively LED light sources, "smart" lighting, selection VRF air conditioning system with high utilization index, inverter lifts, extremely low power consumption, very good thermal insulation of spaces etc.
Care has also been taken to install on the roof of a 500 kW self-powered photovoltaic generating system, rainwater utilization to meet utility needs (eg WC, green water supply), a dedicated electricity management system (BMS) and exploitation of the natural lighting of the building, with proper design of the roof. The aim of the new ACS Hub is to certify its operation according to LEED, the international carbon footprint standard for buildings. The target of reducing the consumption set by the Group for 2018 has been achieved. For 2019 the target is for the Group's annual energy intensity (kWh / m2) / € million to remain constant at 2018 levels, ie 0.30.
ACS Carbon Footprint Assessment
ACS, due to its scope of work, pays particular attention to limiting air pollutants released by transport. From 2017, following the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) proceeds to a more accurate calculation of its carbon footprint.The calculation took into account:- Direct emissions, according to Scope 1 of the protocol: Includes emissions from fuel consumption, refrigeration and A / C systems of ACS facilities, as well as fuel from ACS's own fleet- Indirect emissions according to Scope 2 of the protocol: Includes emissions from the electricity supplied by ACS and consumed at its headquarters- Indirect emissions according to Scope 3 of the Protocol: Emissions include (a) the production of fuel consumed by the proprietary fleet and the losses of transmission and distribution of electricity consumed by ACS; (b) the disposal and treatment of plant waste (c) the disposal and processing of packaging products sold by ACS at the end of their life cycle; and (d) the operation and fuel consumption of the ACS network; (e) emissions from transport that all ACS employees did for professional reasons.
In 2018, ACS achieved a 4.76% reduction in emissions per tonne of shipments, optimizing the way shipments were managed.
Fleet Management
At the same time, ACS has been developing programs for its fleet renewal and fuel consumption reduction at regular intervals. Within these plans, in 2018, it undertook a replacement part of the Company's fleet and its partner fleets with newer, less polluting technology vehicles, and empowered and subsidized Company Partners to manage emissions related to their operations and to develop programs. In addition, it replaced the bikes with new, low-emission scooters in its network stores, which replaced part of the trucks for moving within large cities. These projects will be completed within the next 5 years and will cost € 10 million.
Finally, the company develops electronic applications that restrict unnecessary movement of vehicles.
