Manufacturing the Sustainable Way

As companies seek more agility and flexibility when producing increasingly complex product designs, on-demand manufacturing has become a great resource. Now, a major player in this space has introduced another element into the mix—a capability that helps customers make informed choices in pursuit of their carbon footprint goals.

Xometry, a online marketplace connecting buyers with suppliers of on-demand manufacturing services, has partnered with Gravity Climate, a company that works with industrial companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chains. The Gravity Climate carbon management software platform, aimed at manufacturers and supply chain partners in industries like construction, metals, and energy services, helps customers understand and manage their carbon emissions based on strategic goals. Gravity Climate maintains that 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions are linked to industrial supply chains.

Xometry has integrated its on-demand manufacturing platform with the Gravity Climate software through use of the Gravity API. The result is the ability to instantly calculate carbon emissions estimates for different Xometry order requests in real time, helping companies take responsibility for their carbon goals by making more informed choices and taking supportive actions.

As a result of the integration, sustainability and procurement teams using the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine will be able to measure Scope 3 emissions of their orders with greater accuracy, meet emissions disclosure commitments with more confidence, and use the data to inform current and future product designs.

“Industrial buyers are increasingly asked to track and make procurement decisions based on sustainability metrics, but lack the data necessary to do so,” said Saleh ElHattab, founder and CEO of Gravity Climate, in a press release.

When a customer requests a quote in Xometry, the Gravity API will automatically calculate the details, including materials, manufacturing process, mass, and geometry. That data is combined with a custom emission factor from a Gravity-built database, and Xometry users are shown their embodied carbon calculation in real-time. Xometry and Gravity Climate will expand order coverage as new data becomes available, officials said.

Xometry has committed to moving the needle on sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals. In December of 2020, the company announced its Go Green initiative, a turn-key option designed to offset up to 100% of the carbon footprint of the custom manufacturing process for customer orders. When the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine calculates an order’s estimated carbon footprint, customers have the option to offset some or all of the emissions by buying carbon offset credits, which Xometry passes along to environmental impact organizations. The offset covers the carbon emissions associated with everything from raw material extraction and processing, transportation of goods and materials through the supply chain, energy consumed in fabrication, and the operations of the manufacturer. Xometry shoulders 100% of the cost of offsetting the carbon footprint of the delivery of parts to customers.

There are other tools helping customers be more carbon emissions savvy when making manufacturing decisions. For example, CASTOR, which delivers software that helps identify parts that are suitable candidates for AM, now includes a CO2 Emission Calculator to help gauge potential emissions savings on parts slated for AM.

For a basic tutorial on understanding carbon footprints, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse emissions, check out this video.