$17.5 M
ANNUAL INVESTMENTS

Total Capital Authorized for Sustainability Projects in 2022

21%
GHG EMISSION REDUCTION

Over 21% reduction of operational GHG emissions intensity since 2019

50%
COMMITMENT

Committed to reducing operational GHG emissions intensity 50% by 2030

Our Sustainability Strategy

At Alamo Group, we understand the importance of sustainability and the vital role it plays in preserving our planet for future generations. That's why we have implemented a comprehensive sustainability framework that encompasses all aspects of our business, from reducing our environmental impact to promoting the well-being of our employees and communities.

Our Sustainability Strategy
Sustainable Collaboration & Innovation

Our sustainable business practices consider the entire product life cycle.  Our focus extends beyond the environmental and social impacts of our procurement, production, and distribution practices.  It also includes the impacts of end users operating our products as well as our aftermarket efforts to ensure a long service life.  This requires collaboration and innovation throughout our value chain.  Upstream, we collaborate with key suppliers to develop innovative sustainable products and measure the environmental and social impacts of our upstream supply chain.  Downstream, we engage with dealers, contractors, and end customers to provide product solutions that reduce emissions, increase resource efficiency and circularity, and provide the most effective tools to help end users perform their critical infrastructure, environmental and agricultural services.

Gradall EL 4100 <br> all electric excavator
Gradall EL 4100
all electric excavator

Alamo Group’s Gradall team partnered with Volvo Penta, their primary engine supplier, to develop a fully electrified version of the Gradall XL 4100 V highway speed telescopic boom wheeled excavator. The zero-emissions concept machine, named EL 4100, was on display at the ConExpo show in March. The concept machine is powered entirely by two Volvo Penta battery packs, matched to the duty cycle of the excavator, which fit neatly into the existing engine bay. The electric driveline system from Volvo Penta also includes the complete high voltage system — electric motors, gearboxes, inverters, junction boxes and cabling.

Nitehawk Raptor <br> electric-hybrid mid-size sweeper
Nitehawk Raptor
electric-hybrid mid-size sweeper

The Electric-Hybrid Raptor prototype, a hybrid electric version of the legacy Raptor ll, was introduced in early 2023. It is designed to address demand for a mid-size chassis mounted hybrid sweeper in the Fixed Based Operator, Municipal, and Contractor markets. The Electric-Hybrid replaces a chassis engine driven hydraulic piston pump with an electric generator. The system features a Li-ion battery pack that can be charged between shifts and as needed by the engine driven generator. This enables full sweeper system performance at all operational sweeping speeds. Electric components replace hydraulic versions with equal or better performance and the payload capacity is unchanged from the legacy Raptor II. After a few months of extensive testing, we expect initial production and sales in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Timberwolf TW 280hb <br> hybrid electric woodchipper
Timberwolf TW 280hb
hybrid electric woodchipper

In recent years, tighter regulation of diesel engine emissions, particularly in Europe, have led to the establishment of exclusion zones, where diesel engines over a certain size are not permitted to operate.This new Timberwolf TW 280HB’s hybrid powertrain utilizes a 37-hp generator synchronous electric motor and a bank of three supercapacitors rather than a battery. The system is completely self-charging, with no external charging required. During operation, power is repeatedly stored into, and then drawn out of the capacitor bank to meet peak chipping power requirements. This design meets the dual challenge of exceptional 62-hp peak chipping performance while using a 24.8-hp Kubota turbo diesel engine for outstanding applied torque. Customer interest is high and initial demand for this product is strong. Fuel efficiencies are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 37% compared to the legacy product and other products available on the market.

Environmental Responsibility

Alamo Group’s environmental responsibilities and accountability include identifying, measuring, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; air, water, and soil pollution; hazardous waste; and potentially harmful substances which may be found in our products. New regulatory requirements and voluntary disclosure requests are increasing exponentially and the need to collaborate with value chain partners to meet these expectations has never been greater.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Two years ago, we set a 2030 goal to reduce our operational (Scope 1 and 2) GHG emissions by 50% from a 2019 base year.  As of 2022, we have achieved a 21% reduction below base year levels.  Our progress to date is mostly due to absolute reductions in electricity consumption resulting from the installation of energy-efficient lighting, production equipment, and compressed air systems.  These absolute power consumption reductions were achieved despite growth in production output and the insourcing of laser cutting and painting operations from third party suppliers.  Our focus has now shifted to reducing the natural gas used to heat our facilities and some of our production processes.  Natural gas consumption is currently our largest source of energy and operational GHG emissions.  We have recently initiated over 40 projects across our facilities to address building envelope and heating efficiency upgrades.  Many of these projects were completed in the past six months, but several of the high impact projects at our larger gas-consuming facilities are scheduled for this year. Our near-term plans also include additional on-site renewable energy capacity.  We expect to see near-term cost savings and emissions reductions from all of these investments.

Alamo Group collaborates with upstream supply chain partners to address the environmental footprints we share with these members of our value chain. While most of this collaboration has been recently focused on the joint development of low and zero-emission products to address customer climate concerns, we are also pushing for supply chain transparency and accountability for a wider range of environmental issues, including GHG emissions.  One of the largest GHG footprints in our upstream supply chain is the production of steel.  For example, we have begun to use higher grade steel to reduce product weight.  We have also upgraded to more precise fiber lasers for cutting sheet steel, allowing parts to be nested closer together and reducing steel scrap.  Both of these examples represent an avoidance of steel purchases and a significant reduction of our upstream GHG footprint. 

The equipment we manufacture is primarily used by local governments, industries, farmers, ranchers, and contractors to maintain vital infrastructure and produce food. Advances in alternative energy technologies help us design products with reduced environmental impacts, and many Alamo Group products can now operate with low or no greenhouse gas emissions across our vegetation management, infrastructure maintenance, and industrial equipment offerings. Advances in electric vehicles and other alternative fuel technologies are opening doors to a variety of power platforms that could be used for many of our future products. Integrating clean energy technologies into our product development processes is critical to our sustainable growth objectives.  To date, we have introduced new hybrid or fully electric products in our excavator, street sweeper, vacuum truck, debris collector, woodchipper, and mowing product lines.  We have also designed lighter, fuel efficient products, without sacrificing durability or performance, in our snow removal and agricultural equipment lines.  

Pollution Reduction
Pollution Reduction

Alamo Group is committed to mitigating the negative impacts related to air, water, and soil pollution, including prevention and control.  To manage harmful chemicals and noxious substances both in the manufacturing process and wherever our products are being used, Alamo Group companies use best practices in compliance with regulations for workplace health and safety, and environmental protection. 

Mixtures, fuels, solvents, paints, and dusts are all considered hazardous chemicals or materials that may be present in our facilities. Alamo provides extensive employee training to help workers identify hazardous chemicals and noxious substances; assess and control their risks in the workplace; understand the regulatory requirements, and safely store and transport these materials to ensure their proper containment and safe handling.  At each of our facilities, onsite environmental and safety leads actively monitor all waste streams (air, liquid, and solids) to ensure regulatory compliance. Within our operations, most of our hazardous waste generation is tied to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with wet paint and related solvents. VOCs and the combustion of fossil fuels account for nearly all of our air emissions.  Over the past few years some of our manufacturing facilities have converted to dry powder coat paint systems, we have reduced our absolute VOC emissions despite higher production output and the insourcing of painting operations. 

Alamo Group works with its suppliers to reduce air, water and soil pollutants throughout the value chain and phase out the use of substances of concern.  In recent years, new government regulations have changed how we identify and manage such material to ensure product safety.  For example, we make regular inquiries to our suppliers to comply with regulations which require that we list certain substances in a public database for products imported into Europe.  Downstream, we create positive environmental impact by designing pollutants out of our products.  For example, transitioning from diesel to electric products reduces air pollution and, by replacing fluid power systems with electric circuits, can also significantly reduce the use of synthetic polymers and eliminate the need for hydraulic oil.  Finally, our products often perform important roles in protecting the environment.  For example, street sweepers remove pollutants from city streets, reducing the runoff of toxins into storm drains and water systems, and hydro-excavation vacuum trucks are often used in soil remediation projects.

Water Conservation
Water Conservation

According to a survey using the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct tool, our manufacturing operations are not located in high water risk areas, nor do our production processes require large quantities of water use. Nevertheless, Alamo Group has taken action to reduce water consumption by more than 20% in the past three years.  We act to conserve water resources through rainwater harvesting, recycling water in our production processes and repairing leakage in our plumbing systems.  Downstream, our vacuum truck products use water for hydro-excavation and sewer cleaning.  We offer a water recycling filtration unit as an option on this equipment, allowing our customers increase equipment utilization, as well as reduce water and fuel costs.

Preserving Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Preserving Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Our actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants are certainly the most important actions we take to protect biodiversity and ecosystems.  However, Alamo Group operations do more to promote healthy ecosystems.  For example, we have also participated in large tree plantings and added flowering plants and bee colonies to our properties. Our employees have also led and participated in clean-up projects within our communities.  Downstream, our products play important roles in maintaining soil health, removing invasive plant species, and reducing ecosystem impacts during their operation.  For example, customers often use our agricultural mowing products in place of herbicides for weed control and crop shredding for no till farming applications.  We manufacture aquatic mowing products in Europe that use underwater lighting to protect fish populations and specialized rakes to uproot invasive water plants.  We have also made design changes to reduce the weight and wheel profiles of some of our agricultural products to reduce soil compaction.

Resource Use, Waste and Circularity
Resource Use, Waste and Circularity

Sustainability is about eliminating waste, not narrowly defined, like refuse sent to a landfill, but broadly defined, as in any waste of materials, energy, labor, financial resources, and capacities embodied in the products and services provided to the end customers.  We believe that waste reduction isn’t limited to more efficient resource use to produce a linear output but should also become more circular in nature.  Circularity can be achieved throughout our value chain, from the development of returnable dunnage with suppliers to refurbishing existing equipment for our customers.  The objective of circularity is preserving raw materials and the value-added, keeping it in use to avoid the demand for new resources for as long as possible. 

Alamo Group companies design and implement waste diversion strategies tailored to their operations, geography, and product lines. We continue to improve these programs by identifying additional waste reduction, reuse and recycling opportunities, providing ongoing employee education, and collaborating with our supply chain partners.  At our facilities, most of our landfill waste stems from packaging, pallets, and other shipping materials.  Through the development of reusable and returnable dunnage, reuse of packaging materials and enhanced recovery and recycling efforts, we have reduced landfill waste by over 20% in the past three years, and we remain committed to our 2030 target of reducing landfill waste by 50%. 

Continued customer engagement after the sale is key to avoiding wasted resources and ensuring product durability.  Alamo Group already has an established operator training program for its customers, which focuses on safety as well as the proper operation and preventative care of the equipment.  Our operating companies also support customers with field service and maintenance training programs.  With recent supply chain disruptions and higher costs of low-emission equipment, we are seeing growing customer interest and demand for equipment rental, refurbishment and other services to improve equipment durability and utilization and lower the total cost of sweeping, snow removal, sewer cleaning and other services our products facilitate.  We expect these trends to continue and provide additional opportunities to create circular economies.   

Social

At Alamo Group, we understand the importance of sustainability and the vital role it plays in preserving our planet for future generations. That's why we have implemented a comprehensive sustainability framework that encompasses all aspects of our business, from reducing our environmental impact to promoting the well-being of our employees and communities.

Supporting Our Communities
Supporting Our Communities

Giving back to the local areas where we do business is an important part of Alamo Group’s philosophy. We believe we have a responsibility to the communities where our employees and customers live and work, and we constantly strive to find ways to give back. Alamo Group companies work with diverse organizations in our communities to advance economic, environmental, and societal issues and share best practices across industries through our efforts.

Employee Wellness & Family Benefits
Employee Wellness & Family Benefits
  • Benefits are available for same-sex and domestic partners
  • Two employee assistance programs are available for employees and family
  • Paid sick time includes care for family illness and medical appointments
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match
  • Parental leave under FMLA
  • Similar benefits are offered to our employees in other countries based on local laws and traditions
Employee Development
Employee Development

In 2022, the company introduced Alamo Group's Learning and Development Academy, incorporating four key pillars for employee and leadership development:

Alamo Group Inspiring Leadership Excellence – a foundational Supervisor and Management development program.

In partnership with Cornell University, Alamo Group offers certification in Sales,
Project Management, Product Management, and other programs.

Ten module series conducted by certified Front Line Leadership facilitators enabling leaders to create work environments that foster employee engagement, improve performance, and increase employee satisfaction.

Developing Future Generations of Skilled Workers
Developing Future Generations of Skilled Workers
  • Company sponsored local high school robotics teams
  • Partnership with local group “Girls with Goggles” to support women in STEM roles
  • Participation in a Manufacturing Camp
  • Partnership with Peoples Inclusive Welding, a welding training program
Governance

Alamo Group has implemented a strong corporate governance and ethics framework that provides the foundation for all our corporate responsibility efforts and is consistent with our high standards of operational excellence, ethics, integrity, and transparency.

Corporate Governance
Corporate Governance

We believe sound governance practices are fundamental to achieving our long-term sustainable growth objectives. Alamo Group's leadership team, led by our CEO, has responsibility for the day-to-day management of our business while ultimate oversight of the business rests with our Board of Directors.

Ethics and Compliance
Ethics and Compliance

A strong ethical culture starts at the top. CEO Jeff Leonard and the other senior executive leaders at Alamo Group strive to set the right example in the way they behave and the way they encourage others to behave. Our Board members are also deeply committed to meeting the highest standards of ethical and legal conduct in fulfilling their duties.

Information Security and Data Privacy
Information Security and Data Privacy

Alamo has identified information security as an important risk for Alamo Group, including the threats of hacking, ransomware attacks, and data breaches. Our corporate Information Technology (IT) team works diligently to protect not only our information, but also the information of third parties that they may hold or control, to include implementing physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Alamo Group computer systems.

Solutions and Results

What we learned in every year is where we invest our time and money, we get results. 

Sustainable Product Development

Customer Collaboration 

The development of a single engine Nitehawk Osprey prototype with a XL Fleet regenerative braking system was initiated at the request of a specific customer, The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA wanted a small-size, low-profile chassis mounted sweeper to clean their streets, parking lots and parking garages with a reduced carbon footprint. The single engine hydraulic design Osprey II mounts onto a Ford F350 chassis and works by hybridizing existing OEM powertrains by adding a 15 kWh battery pack to store energy generated during braking, a traction motor, and a motor drive to control current flow. The unit delivers better fuel economy and decreased emissions. The prototype sweeper was delivered in March 2023 and will now contribute to UCLA’s ongoing efforts to reduce their campus greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing Operational Emissions

New Heating Systems at Salford Priors Plant

Radiant heating systems deliver heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via infrared radiation. Radiant heating is more efficient than forced-air heating because it eliminates duct losses. Prior to the fourth quarter of 2022, our Salford Priors manufacturing facility in the UK had been utilizing a fuel oil heating system with ten “warm air” blowers which required 3000kW of power. We replaced this old heating oil system with a natural gas radiant heating system which requires only 1440kW of power and more effectively heats the plant buildings where it is installed. The total cost for the new system was about $440,000 with an estimated payback period just under three years. We also expect this investment to reduce this facility’s annual Scope 1 GHG emissions by 220 metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

Reduce Value Chain Emissions

Using Fiber Laser Cutting Technology

In recent years, the technology behind high-power fiber laser generators has significantly improved. For steelsheet and thin steel plate cutting, fiber lasers are gradually replacing traditional CO2 lasers. Their use of a flexible light-guiding system and a constant beam transmission distance avoids poor cutting quality caused by changes in the light path length of CO2 laser generators, ensuring consistent cutting quality throughout the cutting width. The shorter wavelength of a fiber laser is more easily absorbed by metal materials compared to the wavelength of a CO2 laser. This is particularly beneficial for sheet metal cutting, with 50% to 90% faster cutting speeds than legacy CO2. More efficient steel cutting also reduces energy consumption.

Case Studies & News
Gradall and Volvo: Empowering the Future of Electric Excavators
Gradall and Volvo: Empowering the Future of Electric Excavators

The partnership between Gradall Industries and Volvo represents a significant collaboration in the realm of electric excavators. As Gradall, continues to innovate its specialty hydraulic excavators, Volvo Penta North America has become a trusted partner. This partnership marks a new era in sustainable and technologically advanced excavators, catering to the evolving needs of customers and paving the way for a greener future.

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Alamo Group Advanced Technical Center: Pioneering Innovation for a Sustainable Future
Alamo Group Advanced Technical Center: Pioneering Innovation for a Sustainable Future

In an era where technology and sustainability are driving forces in industries worldwide, Alamo Group has positioned itself at the forefront of innovation with the establishment of the Advanced Technical Center (ATC). This state-of-the-art facility, inaugurated in September 2021, serves as a hub for groundbreaking research, development, and transformation within Alamo Group.

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Revolutionizing Street Sweeping: The Schwarze M6 Avalanche All-Electric Sweeper
Revolutionizing Street Sweeping: The Schwarze M6 Avalanche All-Electric Sweeper

The introduction of the Schwarze M6 Avalanche All-Electric Sweeper marks a significant milestone in the street sweeping industry. Developed through a collaboration between Alamo Group and Daimler Trucks North America, this fully electric sweeper prototype promises to revolutionize street cleaning operations with its innovative design and environmental benefits.

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