Environmental understanding

For us, our DIN ISO 14001 Certificate is more than just a piece of paper. It states the principle on which we work, day by day: Future-directed technology is kept in harmony with the natural environment at all times. This is the only way we can concertedly counter climate change and safeguard the living space of humans and animals for the long term. Hardly anything better reflects our corporate philosophy than the 60-meter water course on our property, where the local ducks feel they're in their element. We develop hi-tech for the good of people and the environment. We work in a building which has been left in a natural setting and consumes the minimum of valuable resources.

Water sourced from our own springs flows along a 4,000-meter long mains system and through the concrete ceilings of our company building. It is then used to irrigate 5,000 m² of green space, and the remaining spring water is colected in our outdoor water courses. Ten years ago we gave reality to the dream of having our own, light-drenched building in a setting for forest and untouched nature. Ever since then we've used the energy-storing properties of concrete to heat and cool our working space.

Using photovoltaic technology on a surface of more than 1,000 m², we generate more solar-based electricity than we ourselves consume. This was a decision that produces winners only. As a company we profit from the massive reduction of our operating costs, and as people we gain a better environment and a healthier climate. And of course the operating technology inside the building is constantly brought up to speed. For example, the lighting in our glassed-in production hall is automatically switched on and off, depending on the intensity of the sunlight, via a system sensitive to exterior light. The lamps themselves are being converted, step by step, to LED technology, the aim being to reduce energy consumption from 22,000 watts to below 2,000 watts.

The most visible symbol of our philosophy - that the human race can only survive if it lives in harmony with nature - is the forest that directly borders on our company premises. It is our own, and there are 20,000 m² of it. We get all the necessary reforestation done; the gamekeeping too. The red deer are kept happy by well-filled troughs in the winter; it is as if they know their woods will be maintained for many generations to come.

All the waste from our building is of course collected in separate containers and processed separately. But for us it's much more important to avoid waste from the start. In close collaboration with ecologically oriented suppliers we have, for example, managed to reduce our waste-removal costs for waste paper, cardboard and other packaging materials to less than € 100 on average per month.