Duurzaamheid bij WEICON
Chemie & duurzaamheid –
is dat wel mogelijk?
Ons internationaal actieve familiebedrijf produceert al meer dan 70 jaar chemische producten. Met onze lijmen en afdichtingsmiddelen, die worden gebruikt op het gebied van productie, reparatie, onderhoud en service, houden we de industrieën van deze wereld draaiende. Terecht en onvermijdelijk rijst hier echter de vraag: Kunnen we als chemisch bedrijf überhaupt wel duurzaam handelen?
Ons antwoord is een volmondig ja. Elk bedrijf heeft tegenwoordig de verantwoordelijkheid om serieus werk te maken van duurzaamheid. En elk bedrijf kan binnen zijn mogelijkheden maatregelen nemen om toekomstige generaties een leefbare toekomst te bieden.
Op deze pagina leggen we uit hoe we bij WEICON omgaan met het thema duurzaamheid. We laten zien welke grote en kleine maatregelen we nemen voor een zinvolle dag van vandaag en hoe we nieuwe dingen initiëren om te helpen een hoopvolle dag van morgen vorm te geven.
„Welk bedrijf in deze tijd ook nog denkt dat het niets te maken heeft met duurzaamheid, heeft niet begrepen waar het allemaal om draait.“
ANN-KATRIN WEIDLING, DIRECTEUR VAN WEICON
Wat we doen
CO2-vermijding en -reductie
Verantwoord gebruik van met energie
Karton in plaats van plastic
Fiets leasen & e-mobiliteit
Serie duurzaam gereedschap
Digitalisering in plaats van papierrommel
Regenwater opvangen
Zelfs de kleine stappen tellen
Afstand van reclamemateriaal
Eco-profit bedrijf
Bekijk duurzaamheid als een geheel
WE Care Duurzaamheidsverslag
Met genoegen presenteren wij ons Duurzaamheidsverslag 2024.
Sociaal
Duurzaamheid is veel meer dan de implementatie van milieudoelstellingen. Sociale kwesties maken er ook deel van uit als een van de drie pijlers (naast ecologie en economie). Sinds 2017 steunen we non-profitorganisaties over de hele wereld. Daaronder zijn verenigingen die zich inzetten voor het milieu, mensen en dieren. Onze medewerkers beslissen waar onze donaties naartoe gaan.
Wat de toekomst brengt
Duurzame actie is geen to-do die je op een bepaald moment kunt afvinken. Duurzame actie is eerder een eeuwig proces.
We weten dat we niet perfect zijn en dat er nog veel hendels zijn die we moeten aandraaien om nog milieubewuster te handelen.
We kunnen niet ineens lijm in suikerspin veranderen, maar we zijn voortdurend bezig met de implementatie van verschillende onderwerpen en processen. We kijken bijvoorbeeld momenteel naar verdere energie-efficiëntiemaatregelen in bestaande gebouwen. Dit omvat onder andere het gebruik van nieuwe technologie op het gebied van verlichting, airconditioning, verwarming, enz. of de uitbreiding van onze fotovoltaïsche systemen.
Duurzaamheid en milieubeheer zijn complex en tijdrovend. Daarom heeft WEICON een collega, Henning Voß, die als lid van ons EHSC (Environment + Health + Safety + Compliance) managementteam verantwoordelijk is voor dit onderwerp.
„Zelfs als chemisch bedrijf kunnen we veel doen op het gebied van duurzaamheid. Ik evalueer regelmatig met collega's en externe professionals wat haalbaar is binnen onze mogelijkheden.“
HENNING VOß, HEAD OF EHSC MANAGEMENT BIJ WEICON
A-Z van duurzaamheid
Anfangen (starting)
Just start! Can you do anything wrong when it comes to climate protection? For fear of being accused of greenwashing, some companies seem paralysed and remain hesitant regarding sustainability measures despite good intentions. But if you do nothing at all for fear of doing something wrong, you are definitely doing something wrong!
Balance
Our consumption (such as energy or fuel consumption) is converted to the CO2 equivalent using emission factors. This figure is the result of the emissions balance on which our climate protection strategy is based. One tonne of methane, for example, represents 25 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Corporate Carbon Footprint
Together with Fokus Zukunft GmbH & Co. KG, we measured our corporate carbon footprint in Germany in 2022 based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The carbon footprint is divided into Scope 1, 2 and 3. Scope 1 includes all self-generated emissions (for example, emissions generated by combustion in one’s own facilities). Scope 2 includes emissions associated with purchased energy (for example electricity). Scope 3 includes emissions from services provided by third parties and purchased preliminary services (for example business travel, paper consumption, etc.). We have tried to calculate our carbon footprint in Germany as comprehensively as possible – Scope 3 emissions can only be partially accounted for, however, as not all processes along the entire value chain are known to us or can be influenced by us.
Chemicals
Many of our products are based on chemical substances that give them their specific properties, such as high adhesive strength or an especially high resistance to weathering. We pay close attention to the numerous legal requirements for our products and analyse and evaluate them further according to our own strict standards – also with regard to environmental compatibility.
Digitalisation
Many companies have now realised that the digitalisation of processes can significantly reduce C02 emissions in many areas. We have already taken several measures to digitalise our processes. For example, we have made our invoice filing or personnel administration paperless. We have also digitised processes in the warehouse and in the shipping process and replaced many face-to-face events with digital meetings.
Employer branding
Voluntarily reducing emissions and offsetting unavoidable emissions increases awareness among our employees, suppliers and customers for the way we use resources. Positioning ourselves as a sustainable employer is an integral part of our employer branding strategy.
Fahrrad (bike)
Thanks to our bike leasing offer, our employees can make their way to work pollution-free. Of course, colleagues who live far away are still dependent on their car, but many people from Münster arrive by bike – as befits our bicycle-friendly city.
Ganzheitlich (holistic)
Those who are serious about the fight against climate change do not merely rely on offsetting CO2 through climate certificates. Only companies who take a holistic view of the three main pillars of carbon neutrality – i.e. saving, reducing and offsetting CO2 – achieve more than mere damage limitation.
Home office (remote work)
Working from home makes it unnecessary for many of our employees to travel to work by car, thus reducing the burden on the environment and, additionally, on the wallet.
International climate protection
Climate change is global, so it does not matter where in the world CO2 is offset. The Kyoto Protocol, which is binding under international law, stipulates that climate protection projects that avoid or store greenhouse gas emissions should be located where they are most economical. Many projects are therefore carried out in emerging and developing countries, where they are also intended to contribute to improving the economic, social and environmental situation.
Junges (young) team
Many young people work at WEICON. The average age at our headquarters in Germany is 37. It is no secret that sustainability is becoming increasingly important, especially for the younger generations, and often plays a role in the choice of employer. All the more reason for a company to address this issue.
Kommunikation (communication)
Do good and talk about it. Many companies do not dare to speak openly about their sustainability measures for fear of greenwashing accusations. But honest and transparent communication can help inspire other companies and encourage them to take action themselves.
Long-term
We do not purchase our carbon neutrality for marketing purposes. By means of additional C02 reduction and avoidance measures, we wish to show that we are making a long-term and serious contribution to climate protection and to a world worth living in tomorrow.
Messen (trade fairs)
We have reduced our participation in trade fairs, thus saving many flights, nights in hotels and kilometres driven by car. We have currently scaled down our presence at domestic fairs to the most important four or five ones.
Nachhaltigkeitsziele der Vereinten Nationen (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)
The United Nations has set 17 sustainable development goals. The goals take into account all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) and include the fight against climate change. Here you can find more information on the 17 goals With our certification as a carbon-neutral company, we support a compensation project in Türkiye that includes three of the sustainability goals.
ÖPNV (public transport)
Despite our location in an industrial area, we are directly connected to the public transport system via a nearby bus stop. In various industry associations, we repeatedly advocate, for example, that the frequency of buses be further expanded to make public transport even more attractive.
People – Planet – Profit
These terms refer to the three pillars of sustainability. With these three, equally-important pillars, companies can specify guidelines for sustainable action. The aim is to ensure and improve the environmental, economic and social performance of societies in this way.
Quality
We attach the utmost importance to quality. This means that we pay attention to both high-quality materials and the usefulness of our products. We don’t include products that are especially harmful to the environment nor products that offer no additional technical benefit in our product range.
Reducing
We are reducing our CO2 impact in many areas along the value chain. Our specific measures for CO2 reduction are explained on this page.
Spenden (donations)
We have been supporting charitable organisations around the world since 2017. Among them are associations that campaign for the environment and the welfare of people and animals. Our employees decide on which organisations to support with our donations.
Treibstoff (fuel)
Our vehicle fleet requires a large amount of petrol and diesel. That is why we are gradually converting our vehicle fleet in Germany to regenerative drives.
Umverpackungen (repackaging)
We banned plastic blister packs from our tool range at the beginning of 2020. Since then, we have been packaging our WEICON TOOLS in recyclable cardboard boxes, thus saving around six tonnes of plastic every year. Read more
Corporate values
As a company, we hold certain values that guide our everyday actions. In addition to respect, openness, solidarity, communication and reliability, we also count responsibility and sustainability among our corporate values. Responsible and sustainable action is very important to us, which is why we continue to focus our actions on sustainability in addition to the measures we have taken so far.
Vermeiden (saving)
Saving CO2 should be part of any sustainability strategy. Because even if we offset a tonne of CO2 elsewhere in the world, it remains a tonne of CO2. That is why we regularly examine and evaluate existing processes at our company to find out whether they can be optimised further in terms of sustainability.
Work-life balance
For us, sustainability also means consciously paying attention to people (human resources), starting with the people in our company. For example, we ensure that our employees benefit from a good work-life balance.
Generation X, Y and Z
When WEICON was founded in 1947, environmental issues played a minor role for many companies. We were no exception in that respect. But for the following generations Y and Z, the topic of sustainability is increasingly gaining in importance – also at WEICON. Being a millennial herself, Managing Director Ann-Katrin Weidling represents the fourth generation of our family business. It is extremely important to her that WEICON makes its own significant contribution to climate protection.
Ziele (targets)
Sustainable action is not an item on a to-do list that you can tick off at some point, but a continuous process. We never stop setting ourselves new targets to reduce our CO2 emissions wherever we can.
