Our activities in the environmental area
At Dieffenbacher, we pay close attention to the use of natural resources such as air, water, flora and fauna and manage the impact our business operations accordingly. One of our most important goals is to reduce our carbon footprint. To achieve this goal, we work on both the environmental sustainability of our products and on reducing emissions and resource consumption at our sites.
Sustainability at our sites
The first carbon footprint for our main locations was calculated for 2019. On this basis, we have set the following goal for our three sites in Eppingen, Germany:
We will reduce our CO2e footprint* by 50% in Scope 1 and 2 by 2030.
*Besides CO2, the CCF (Corporate Carbon Footprint) takes into account the greenhouse gases CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6 and NF3. For better comparability, CO2 is converted into CO2e.
We plan our activities in a targeted manner, recording our greenhouse gas emissions for our three sites in Eppingen in cooperation with our external partner KlimAktiv. Based on the internationally recognized "Greenhouse Gas Protocol,” all processes initiated by the company that lead to emissions are evaluated in Scope 1, 2 and 3.
To define a reasonable starting point for our established goal and be able to exclude distortions due to effects caused by covid-19 (e.g., significantly lower flight volumes), we are using 2019 as the reference year.
Our first remeasurement was carried out for 2022. The next measurement is planned for 2024. We use the interim results to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the measures implemented and adjust them if necessary.
Scope 3 is strongly determined by external factors and can only be influenced by us to a limited extent. Nevertheless, we continuously address the Scope 3 categories and implement further measures for reduction that are within our scope of action. For example, project groups are addressing the topics of business travel, the daily commute and the sustainability-relevant changes that will help us make progress with purchased services and goods such as steel.
The experience and knowledge gained will be gradually transferred to our sites worldwide. Dieffenbacher Czech Republic was the first other location to measure its carbon footprint for 2022.
Measures already implemented for sustainable development at our sites
Sustainability of our products
In addition to considering our sites, we work intensively on the sustainable development of our products. After all, our machines and systems also require resources and cause emissions during operation. At the same time, the requirements for sustainable production are increasing not only for us but also for our customers and suppliers.
Across all business areas, we help our customers combine economic and ecological goals with our holistic smart plant concept CEBRO.
With CEBRO plants, our customers are able to:
+ Reduce emissions and thus reduce their carbon footprint
+ Save energy costs and produce energy more sustainably
+ Minimize material consumption and production waste
Protecting a valuable resource: wood
Through our Wood business unit we actively contribute to sustainable development in the wood-based panel industry. For many years, we have developed and implemented solutions with alternative raw materials for our customers. We are very aware that despite its naturally sustainable properties, fresh wood is a valuable resource. Thus, instead of fresh wood, we use recycled waste wood, wheat straw, cotton stalks, bamboo fibers, palm fronds and other natural materials. Advanced energy recovery concepts that are part of our holistic smart plant approach CEBRO help our customers to reduce emissions, e.g., by reusing heat and energy at other points in the production process.
Saving material and energy
In the Forming business unit we develop material- and energy-saving forming processes with low scrap rates for the composite and metalworking industries. In keeping with the circular economy, we offer our customers in the composites area concepts that allow the use of resource-saving recycled materials. Our lightweight solutions made of composites and metal help to save fuel and electricity, especially in the mobility sector. With our EVORIS digitization solution, customers can quickly and easily identify energy-saving potential for their plants.
Offering sustainable alternatives
With the Recycling business unit we make an active contribution to the circular economy and promote sustainable thinking in the wood-based panels, plastics and metalworking industries. Close links with our Wood and Forming business units allow us to think holistically about recycling concepts. Our employees develop forward-looking solutions to replace oil and gas with biofuels, recycle waste wood even more efficiently and manufacture new products from waste materials (e.g., building cladding from carpet scraps).
Generating and using energy efficiently and sustainably
In the Energy business unit, we design and implement power plants and heat recovery systems for sustainable energy generation. With advanced technologies, we help customers reduce CO2 emissions and drive forward the energy transition in their companies. We focus on sustainable energy generation with fuels such as biomass and waste materials, while our various waste heat systems and process equipment enable solutions for recovering waste heat from production processes and using it efficiently.
