In its 2030 Agenda, the United Nations formulated 17 goals for sustainable development that call on all countries to take action. With its "Green Deal", the European Commission has set itself the goal of making Europe the first continent to achieve climate neutrality. At the same time, awareness of sustainability is growing among the population.
This brings with it many challenges - for society, politics and the economy. In order to overcome these, everyone needs to get involved, show commitment and face up to the challenges associated with these developments. This starts locally. In the region, in the cities, in the companies. The town of Attendorn has set itself the goal of being climate-neutral by 2030 under the motto "emissions down - added value up". A goal that can only be achieved hand in hand with local industry.
We at BEULCO have also developed a sustainability strategy that focuses on the topic in all its facets. We want to act rather than react - and when it comes to sustainability, we always focus on the balance between the three dimensions of ecology, economy and social responsibility. We want to shape developments and not just react to requirements. We are convinced that companies that integrate sustainability into their day-to-day work have advantages in the market, in customer acquisition and employee retention. To this end, we have developed a target image that visualizes the most important aspects of sustainability at BEULCO.
A strategic agenda was drawn up in 2022 to implement the mission statement. In developing and implementing the sustainability strategy, Beulco is guided by the UN's SDGs as well as regional and global climate protection targets and social standards. Our sustainability strategy focuses on five central fields of action, which are also visible in the target image.
This area of action includes sustainability-related activities with regard to internal, direct operations and production. These, including the upstream, production-relevant value creation processes at suppliers and partners, must be designed to be low-emission and resource-efficient.
This area of action includes measures relating to a more sustainable design of the end products manufactured and sold by Beulco (e.g. development of new products or improved or more sustainable composition of the materials required for the end products) as well as sales structures and customer relationships.
In this area of action, measures relating to the sustainable design of employees' working conditions are pursued and regulations are developed to promote sustainability awareness among all employees.
Beulco accepts its responsibility as a company in society and the region and supports sustainability activities with measures in this field of action by supporting social and ecological projects. Beulco aspires to act as a role model.
For Beulco, the development of society as a whole towards a greater focus on sustainability offers great entrepreneurial opportunities that we would like to exploit by developing new sustainability-related business models and fields.
We consistently draw up rules and guidelines that apply within the workforce. These include travel guidelines that massively restrict air travel, for example, and promote the use of public transport. New purchasing rules specify cooperation with regional suppliers and updated fleet rules specify the use of electric vehicles.
Regular communication of our sustainability goals and measures promotes understanding of actions and encourages implementation and commitment among the workforce. Milestones that have already been reached are discussed and debated. Every employee can contribute and implement new projects.
We have developed an energy concept for our Attendorn site that defines milestones and targets on the way to climate neutrality. With coordinated measures, we want to reduce our carbon footprint to almost zero by 2023. At its core, the concept considers the following building blocks:
We are doing everything we can to significantly reduce our energy consumption. Every employee has a role to play here - from simple measures such as switching off lights when leaving rooms, to the efficient use of electrical appliances and batteries, to reducing overall gas consumption through heating.
We were able to reduce our gas consumption by 22% between 2021 and 2022, and by 36% between 2022 and 2023.
Last year, we were able to reduce CO2 emissions per tonne of processed material by 7%.
This corresponds to a reduction of 155 tons of CO2 for our production management in 2022.
We not only rely on more sustainable means of transportation for business trips, but also for the daily commute of every employee.
We offer bike leasing to financially support the use of e-bikes instead of cars. We also use a carpooling app to form carpools quickly and easily.
In 2023, a few employees built a charging station for e-bikes in our employee parking lot, which is powered by solar energy - a great project!
We develop specialists, managers and junior staff at an early stage through targeted training and active participation in agile projects. Staff retention and development are the foundation of our "sustainable" HR work. For this reason, BEULCO works in both a traditional and an agile organization. The agile organization gives employees room for creativity and design, for innovation and development. We also align the working environment accordingly - and not only with regard to health aspects.
A group of employees regularly deals with topics relating to small but effective measures in and around our building. We are creating a feel-good working environment with new premises and green oases. Not only for our employees, but also for the smaller inhabitants of our premises - in birdhouses that have been specifically placed there. In 2023 (as far as we know) 8 robins saw the light of day.
In order to remain innovative in the future, to be aware of scientific trends and to produce more sustainably, we are increasing our participation in innovation networks. BEULCO is integrated into the Digital Hub Dortmund and establishes contacts with universities and colleges such as TH Köln, TU Dortmund and the University and FH Südwestfalen. We are also involved in regional projects to promote the South Westphalia region.
We support social institutions with donations and self-designed campaigns - including water toys for kindergartens and daycare centers around Attendorn.
Is a cooperation project between municipalities and the local economy with the aim of reducing operating costs while at the same time conserving natural resources.
companies, service providers and social institutions as well as craftsmen are equally addressed. Important components of the concept are joint workshops for the participating companies, in which the contents of Cleaner Production are taught, and on-site consultations by Ökoprofit consultants.
After participating in an Ökoprofit basic program, many companies complete their environmental management system in line with standards and are certified in accordance with ISO 14001. Unlike
Unlike other environmental management approaches that focus solely on the individual company, Ökoprofit aims to create a local network for environmental protection.
For our products in the Industry and Water business units, we use copper alloys with closed recycling loops as the base material - this guarantees 100% reuse.
We are in the process of reducing the packaging we use and continuously adapting it in the interests of sustainability.
For example, we have reduced our cardboard boxes from approx. 20 sizes with coating to 7 paper boxes. We completely dispense with environmentally harmful adhesive tape and use xy instead.
It is particularly important to us that our suppliers also opt for sustainable packaging and transport materials. Therefore, we have already developed concepts with many suppliers. For new suppliers, this is a basic requirement.
Many of our products need to be secured in boxes and packaging. Several years ago, we switched from plastic to paper for this purpose. However, shredding new paper for securing also does not meet our standard. Therefore, we have found a partner who collects all the waste paper from our company and manufactures sustainable transport packaging from it.
No transformation without a crew: At BEULCO, employees are essential actors in the ongoing development of our company. They work on and contribute to measures that are indispensable for the transformation processes – which are not always easy to implement. Success is only possible when the work atmosphere and environment are right, and "smiling employees" gladly make their positive contributions to the company's success.
Engaging in shared discussions, listening, learning, and developing, an open space for exchange, and training programs are all part of the daily work routine at BEULCO. We aim to foster a culture of innovation and promote collaboration among employees.
We also want to make our customer relationships even more sustainable. By digitizing product information and expanding our digital marketing, we work in an environmentally friendly manner while simultaneously increasing our reach. At the same time, we see ourselves as solution providers for our customers. We continuously develop new business models and products that promote the sustainable use of water and provide people with solutions that support their personal contribution to a sustainable lifestyle.
This is also made possible by the level of digitization in our company. Especially in the field of products and customer relationships, the close connection between sustainability and digitization becomes clear. With our digitization strategy, we have created the best conditions to leverage synergies and drive sustainable developments in our product range and customer relationships.
We align with the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Our focus is on the following sustainability goals:
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production.
With the corporate strategy BEULCO 2025, we have made digitization a focal point. It permeates the entire organization, including production, products, processes, and business models.
The intersection between the digitalization and sustainability strategies is the agile organization at the center of our actions. It connects all areas and serves as the foundation for successful implementation. Ultimately, it is the employees who drive progress and make BEULCO successful.
Matthias Parlings is available as a contact person for any questions regarding sustainability at BEULCO.
Matthias Parlings
Management Board| Head of Transformation & Business Development