Wienerberger relies on sustainability: First green brickworks in Uttendorf

Wienerberger relies on sustainability: First green brickworks in Uttendorf

On Thursday, Wienerberger AG, the world's largest brick producer, has reached a significant level of development in Uttendorf in the Braunau district: the company's first "green" brick factory is now in the test operation. This marks a big step towards sustainable production and shows how industry can drastically reduce its emissions.

In this new system, a larger industrial electric stoves replace the traditional gas stoves for behind wall bricks. Thanks to this environmentally friendly technology, it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions at this "demonstration location" by up to 90 percent. The renovation cost a total of 30 million euros and extended over a period of 24 months, which underlines the company's willingness to invest with regard to climate protection.

technological innovation in brick production

The production capacity of the new work is 270 tons of bricks a day, and a total of 16 employees work under the direction of Gerhard Pichler to guarantee a smooth process. "With the successful commissioning of the electroofen, we have achieved a real milestone for sustainable brick production," explained Johann Marchner, the Austrian boss of Wienerberger. This is a crucial step to transform the company's production methods sustainably.

Wienerberger not only invested money in the changeover under the project name "Greenbricks", but also tested creative solutions in technology. The electrical stoves are operated with green electricity, including energy that is obtained from your own photovoltaic system. The savings are immense: a reduction of almost 7,340 tons of CO2 per year is comparable to the annual mileage of 600 auto-era circuits.

ceremonial opening and future perspectives

The ceremonial opening were also invited to significant regional politicians, including the CFO Gerhard Hanke and the Upper Austrian Council of Economics Markus Achleitner. The work in Uttendorf has been part of Wienerberger since 1987, and the location has established itself as a test field for innovative technologies in the industrial process. In 2019, an industrial high-temperature heat pump has already been integrated into the drying processes, which proves the company's technological pioneering spirit.

With the commitment to the NEFI project "Greenbricks", which is funded via the climate and energy funds, Wienerberger sets a strong signal. The gradual exchange of the gas stove through the electroofen is a central part of this strategy. Furthermore, new halls for sawing control and modern heat pumps were installed in order to further increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of production. The transport of the bricks is now also carried out with automated vehicles, which underlines the company's modern approach.

These measures to improve infrastructure and process drains are not only necessary steps towards climate neutrality, but also show the determination of Wienerberger to invest in Austria in the long term in Austria and at the same time take important steps towards climate protection. For detailed information about the developments at Wienerberger visits www.vienna.at .