Protecting the environment means protecting people
We use energy from renewable sources, cut our own CO₂-emissions, avoid waste and recycle – we take environmental protection very seriously. We are also setting an example outside of production by, for instance, switching to electric company cars. Because we know that by protecting our environment we are also protecting our home.
Climate neutrality from 2022
Since July 2022, we as the Vorwerk Group have been climate neutral by reducing our own emissions and offsetting those emissions that remain. We aim to continuously ramp up reductions to a total of two thirds by 2025 (base year: 2016).
Switching to renewable energy is one of the most important levers when it comes to implementing our climate goals. We are increasing the amount of green energy used at company sites and are investing in our own photovoltaic systems. We are also investing in electromobility for our fleet of company vehicles.
A number of other steps that we have taken in recent years have also had a positive effect on our carbon footprint:
We use energy-saving LED lights wherever we can.
In 2021, new energy-saving machines were purchased for the plastic injection molding shop, which reduce energy consumption and CO₂-emissions by 350 tons per year.
We use the waste heat from the machines to heat our new production halls in Wuppertal-Laaken and, in doing so, reduce gas consumption.
We are gradually converting our fleet of service vehicles to electric cars. To do so, we are increasing the number of charging stations at our sites. E-bikes can also be charged during working hours.
Video-conferences and a networked, digital approach are a tried-and-tested daily practice at Vorwerk. This means we avoid business trips and the resulting CO₂.
We involve our employees in our sustainability-management program. Many of them contribute ideas which make their day at work more sustainable.
Saving energy, creating natural spaces
How Vorwerk Engineering protects the environment
Vorwerk Engineering is making the next advances toward more environmental protection. An important component: the extensive restructuring of the Wuppertal-Laaken production site, including the renaturation of the Wupper river. We take a look at the measures and ambitious objectives.
Certified
We have introduced environmental and energy-management systems at all of our production sites in Germany, France and China, which are certified in line with ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy).
Certifications
Avoid or recycle waste
For our production we require a range of materials. While metal is often made up of a high proportion of recycled material, plastic is usually produced from scratch. We want to change this and as such, since 2020, we have been collecting production waste in new plastic mills, where it is shredded and fed back into the injection molding machines. This helps us make the materials more efficient.
In focus: circular economy
Recirculating materials is one way to protect our environment. We are currently investigating the use of recycled plastic as part of a pilot project with the VK200 hand vacuum cleaner.
At the same time, we are promoting new circular business models with the Circular Valley® project, an initiative from the Wuppertalbewegung association and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Within the framework of this project, Vorwerk is providing 1,000 m² of office space and supporting 15 international start-ups in the development of technologies and business ideas for a circular economy.
Only quality lasts
How we make our products and supply-chains more sustainable
More about sustainability at Vorwerk
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