Service
Sustainability
at KraussMaffei
KraussMaffei firmly believes that sustainability is both an ecological and an economic imperative – in other words, a business imperative. For us, successful business means: sustainable business. This applies in particular to us as a major player in the plastics industry. We are therefore mindful of our responsibility to both present and future generations.
In doing so, we do not only focus on our own actions. Instead, we also see ourselves as paving the way for our customers and suppliers so that they too can achieve their sustainability goals.
Our quest for greater sustainability encompasses several dimensions: our employees, our products, our production, our plants, our customers and our company as a whole.
Taking responsibility for our employees
As an employer, we assume a high degree of responsibility for the people who place their trust in us and work for us every day. We support the development and commitment of our workforce and promote a healthy and attractive working environment in which everyone can give their best.
To ensure equal opportunities and make our international presence social and fair, we focus on diversity among our employees: Our aim is to promote diversity and inclusion in a targeted manner, ensuring a balanced ratio of nationalities, women, men and non-binary people as well as generations and cultures in our workforce.
We actively support the professional and personal development of our employees through regular development discussions and individual development measures.
We ensure a high level of occupational safety. We give top priority to the health of our employees in the performance of their duties, among other things through continuous improvements in the design of workplaces and comprehensive accident prevention.
Our production methods and our products
The construction of large industrial plants naturally requires a high input of resources and energy. Our claim is to constantly reduce these efforts and make them as environmentally friendly as possible.
At our own sites, we measure emissions, energy consumption and waste generation with clear key indicators.
In recent years, we have invested a three-digit million euro sum and built four new, state-of-the-art plants: in JiaXing in China, in Einbeck (the new plant of our subsidiary Burgsmüller), in Laatzen near Hanover, and in Parsdorf near Munich. These new factories also meet the latest standards in terms of environmental protection. In Parsdorf, for example, we are fully committed to the 'smart factory' concept. This means, for example, modern building technology, including one of the largest roof-mounted photovoltaic systems in Europe, a combined heat and power plant, heating and cooling sails in the offices, active factory ventilation and intelligent LED lighting with light and motion sensors. As early as 2019, we have set ourselves the goal of certifying our new plants in Parsdorf and Laatzen according to the DGNB system (German Sustainable Building Council).
The basic principle for us is that sustainability is added value. We are constantly improving the design of our products in order to achieve consistent or even improved product quality with less material input. Last but not least, this reduces the weight of the machines. Less weight means less energy required for transport to the customer.
We have set ourselves the overarching goal of reducing our corporate carbon footprint (this takes into account all corporate impacts) to zero by 2030, i.e. to operate all our plants worldwide in a CO2-neutral manner. By 2035, we also want to make our product carbon footprint "from cradle to gate" completely CO2 neutral - i.e. the production of our machines until they leave the factory.
Our customers
Radical rethinking is needed when it comes to plastics. We understand plastics that have already been used once as a recyclable material. The circular economy is therefore a supporting pillar of KraussMaffei's overall strategy. As a pioneer in the preparation and reprocessing of recycled plastics, we have more than three decades of experience in research and development in recycling. Customers have already recycled more than one million tons of plastics with the help of our machines – and saved up to 35 percent of CO2emissions in the process.
KraussMaffei has state-of-the-art recycling technologies and digital solutions for the business models of our time (e.g. purityRecycling for mechanical, solvent-based and chemical recycling). With our technologies, plastics can be reprocessed to such an extent that their quality - depending on the process - equals that of virgin material. Our machines and digital products (e.g. ZE Blue Power, QuickSwitch, APCplus, ColorAdjust) enable our customers to produce more energy efficiently, reduce waste and process more recycled material. With this LineUp, we empower our customers to meet their own sustainability goals and strengthen the Circular Economy.
Our own economic activity
As a company with a history spanning more than 180 years, we are used to always keeping an eye on the long-term consequences of our actions as well. We are convinced that striving for more sustainability will permanently improve our profitability. By 2025, we as a company want to be among the best machine and plant manufacturers for the plastics industry in the areas of sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
This is our this is our goal, this is our claim!