Energy and emissions

At Comet, we strongly believe in our potential to globally promote efficient energy use. We are actively working to use energy more efficiently and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our own processes and throughout the value chain. By increasing the use of renewable, clean, and low-emission sources, as well as optimizing operational processes, we strive to minimize our environmental impact and contribute to combating climate change.

Our operations rely primarily on electricity, making a stable and reliable power supply essential. To prevent disruptions, we have established comprehensive measures to secure electricity procurement, even in emergencies. Through proactive planning, our procurement teams mitigate energy supply risks by diversifying sources, securing backup power, and developing contingency plans with trusted providers. These steps ensure operational continuity and protect production under unforeseen circumstances.

Our products support our customers in improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption per unit of output by enabling non-destructive testing with x-ray technology. Additionally, our technology allows customers to produce smaller, and thus more efficient, electronic components.

Data externally assured (limited assurance)

Despite higher production volumes, Comet in 2025 slightly decreased its energy consumption, particularly its electricity usage. We further reduced our energy intensity – measured as total energy consumption per million CHF in revenue – from 48.0 MWh/mCHF to 45.4 MWh/mCHF.

Scope 1 emissions increased by 6% year over year, primarily reflecting higher natural gas consumption for heating, driven by operational requirements and weather-related demand.

Scope 2 emissions decreased by 87% compared to the previous year. This was driven primarily by the neutralization of market-based Scope 2 grid emissions at the Penang site through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). In addition, the locations in Aachen, Germany, and Copenhagen, Denmark, benefited from a full year of renewable electricity supply. Both sites had transitioned to renewable electricity contracts in 2024. In 2025, of the electricity consumed, 224,357 kWh was generated by the company’s own photovoltaic system in Flamatt.

In the reporting year, we continued to refine our approach for screening Scope 3 emissions. Upstream and downstream activities – including raw material production, transportation, and product use by customers – constitute the majority of our carbon footprint, with Scope 3 accounting for almost 99% of total CO₂ emissions. Our improved process indicated Scope 3 emissions of approximately 113,719 metric tons, as reported to CDP in 2025.

The Scope 3 emissions screening conducted in 2025 showed that approximately 90% of the Scope 3 emissions are attributable to Category 1 (Purchased goods and services), Category 11 (Use of sold products) and Category 4 and 9 (Upstream transportation and downstream transportation and distribution). Category 6 (Business travel) and Category 7 (Employee commuting) were also identified as relevant emission sources. All other Scope 3 categories were assessed as not material during the screening process.

While Scope 1 emissions (direct, from company-controlled sources) and Scope 2 emissions (indirect, from purchased electricity) are important levers for near-term GHG reduction, the majority of our emissions stem from Scope 3 sources. After first focusing on understanding and managing Scopes 1 and 2 as the foundation of our carbon reduction efforts, we are now turning to Scope 3 to address the largest share of our footprint and collaborate with suppliers, customers, and partners for long-term value chain impact.

Comet imports primarily semi-finished components containing metals such as copper, nickel, chromium, tungsten, and neodymium, several of which are scarce raw materials. Thus, we are heavily dependent on materials that are in very short supply, which poses a long-term risk to our business operations.

Comet generates both non-hazardous and hazardous waste. Due to the use and end-of-life disposal of products containing scarce and poorly recyclable materials, we recognize that our business indirectly contributes to resource scarcity. Wherever possible, however, we prioritize recycling within our operations and, given the value of the materials used in our products, customers recycle products at end of life to enable material recovery and help mitigate resource scarcity.

By enabling early defect detection in industrial processes, Comet’s non‑destructive testing systems inherently help customers reduce scrap and waste, delivering a clear positive impact on resource efficiency and waste prevention.

The increase in waste for 2025 can mainly be attributed to higher production volumes in Penang and Flamatt. Additionally, the remodeling of the Flamatt building resulted in slightly more waste.

Higher production volumes and an increased number of employees led to an overall rise in water use and consumption. An incident in Flamatt also contributed to this increase. However, the centralization of the water treatment system in Flamatt, which was completed in early 2025, has the positive effect of reprocessing more deionized water than before, which is resulting in a slightly lower underlying level of water use going forward.

We have continued to implement measures to reduce waste. Waste-reduction and resource-efficiency targets are included in our ISO 14001 targets at the site level. One specific local initiative to reduce waste was the introduction of a reuse system for wooden crates used for transportation in Penang, which we implemented in collaboration with one of our customers in 2025.

Comet is embedding circular‑economy principles by integrating eco‑design into R&D and implementing ISO 14001 at its key production sites to increase material efficiency and recovery. Through continuous research and development, we enhance the durability, reparability, remanufacturing, and recyclability of our products and packaging.