Materials:
Efficient Use and Recycling
Using our environment and the planet’s natural resources responsibly is an important concern for us as a family-owned company, particularly given the special location of our operations within the Dümmer Nature Park. This principle is firmly embedded in our corporate philosophy. We strive to use raw materials, operating supplies, and auxiliary materials as efficiently and purposefully as possible while minimizing material losses.
The most important raw material for our business is paper. Together with our customers, we continuously review opportunities to further reduce the amount of material used in our packaging. This can be achieved through optimized packaging designs or, where appropriate, by using lighter-weight papers. In addition, we return production offcuts to paper manufacturers so that they can be recycled and used in the production of new papers for corrugated board.
In addition to the amount of paper used, we also consider the origin of the paper we source. When procuring paper, we ensure compliance with applicable requirements for the legal and responsible sourcing of raw materials. Our company is certified according to the FSC Chain of Custody standard FSC-STD-40-004.
Energy:
Efficient Use and In-House Generation
The production and lifecycle of corrugated board generate CO₂ emissions. We are working to reduce the associated environmental impact through the efficient use of materials and energy.
After use, corrugated board can be collected through the waste paper recycling system and returned to the material recycling cycle. The use of recycled materials reduces the demand for virgin raw materials and supports the circular use of materials. Nevertheless, production is energy-intensive, and despite our efficiency measures, our overall energy consumption continues to increase from year to year as the company grows.
To ensure that our total energy consumption does not increase at the same rate as our business, we see it as our responsibility to optimize energy use in relation to production output. Areas for improvement in the near future include coordinated load management, shutdown management and leak detection, as well as equipment and process optimization.
We are also currently assessing opportunities to replace the fossil-based energy sources used at our facilities with renewable alternatives. Examples include generating process heat using hydrogen, using heat pumps for heating, adopting alternative drives such as electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles for commercial vehicles, and generating electricity from renewable energy sources. In 2023, we commissioned a 925 kWp photovoltaic system in Damme. Two additional systems, one in Rieste and another in Damme, as well as a battery storage system, are currently being planned.
Since 2018, we have operated an energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001, which is continuously being further developed. It helps us better monitor energy flows throughout the company and assess the energy efficiency of our machinery, equipment, vehicles and buildings. The findings are reviewed by an energy team established specifically for this purpose in 2019. The team derives measures for improvement from these findings, such as annual energy awareness training for all employees.
Our Carbon Footprint
In 2021, our company's total CO2 emissions amounted to 7,619 tons, while in the following year, 2022, they fell by 17.55% to 6,282 tons. The reason for the low figures in 2022 is that we used renewable energy for the first time.
Although emissions rose again in 2023 to 9,941 tons, we will once again only use renewable energy sources for electricity and gas this year and next. This brings us closer to our goal of reducing total CO2 emissions.
