ENNEATECH
Sustainability is the core of our business
As recycling experts, our entire business model is based on the idea of sustainability. We took up the cause of environmental protection long before the topic was on everyone’s lips: Our products enable major industries to reduce their carbon footprint significantly. By using recycled synthetic fibres from the textile industry, we contribute to a sustainable circular economy. Together with our partners, we are committed to quality standards for recycled materials that increase the acceptance of environmentally friendly alternatives on the market.
We have also been optimising our production for years in order to use energy as efficiently and sparingly as possible.
We want to have reduced our own carbon footprint (Scope 1 & 2) to zero by 2028.
EcoVadis silver medal for ENNEATECH’s sustainability management
Sustainability is about much more than just environmental protection – for us, it is the central fundamental principle of our corporate management in environmental, social and governance areas. And this has also been recognised by the rating agency EcoVadis: In September 2024, we received the EcoVadis Rating for the first time , achieving 73 out of a possible 100 points, which puts us in the top 6% of companies rated worldwide over the previous 12 months. The assessment conducted by the internationally renowned analysts covered the four areas of environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. For more information about our EcoVadis Rating, read our blog post on the topic.
ENNEATECH supports the UN Global Compact and theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
In the summer of 2024, ENNEATECH joined the UN Global Compact Network Germany. Participating companies are committed to complying with the ten UN Global Compact principles (see below) and aim to work towards a more just and more sustainable future within the framework of the 2030 Agenda – specifically, in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a new member of the UN Global Compact Network Germany, our Chair of the Board, Hartmut Schoon, wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, outlining our commitment to complying with the Global Compact rules, which also includes an annual progress report.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals: every contribution counts
The 17 global goals for sustainable development of the United Nations (UN) – the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – are a roadmap for the future. They are aimed at governments worldwide, the private sector, academia and civil society. Only together can our natural resources be permanently preserved and a dignified life for all made possible.
As a company, we also want to make our contribution to this vision of a future worth living. We say: “We need to think of our grandchildren.” We have mapped our sustainable actions to various SDGs at two levels: primary and secondary goals. The primary goals relate directly to our core business. We contribute to the “secondary” goals through indirect aspects of our business activities that support sustainability.
Our core business – primary goals for sustainability
In order to achieve the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement, greenhouse gases and the use of fossil fuels must be drastically reduced as quickly as possible.
Every day we are confronted with reports of extreme weather events such as droughts, heavy rain, floods, melting glaciers and tornadoes. In about 6 years, i.e. 2029, we will have exceeded the 1.5° C temperature increase. Only through the use of recycled materials is it remotely possible to conserve fossil fuel resources in the plastics sector.
We process recycled raw materials – primarily synthetic fibres from the textile industry – and, depending on the application, achieve
CO2 savings of up to 90 percent for our customers – and even more for non-reinforced regranulates. For example, our PA66 recycled material without additives has a certified carbon footprint of only 285 kg CO2eq/1000 kg, which corresponds to a reduction in emissions of 96 per cent compared to new materials. With our glass fibre-reinforced products, we achieve CO2reductions of 82 to 93 percent, depending on the glass fibre content. Taking account of the material mix, we enable our customers to make massive CO2 savings in this way — without compromising on quality.
We can tell our customers the exact CO2emissions for each product manufactured. And we have also had the positive environmental effects confirmed externally. For ENTRON eco A – PA6.6 and ENTRON eco B – PA6 we have obtained an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) on the basis of a life cycle analysis and a carbon footprint certificate, which you can also find on the website of the internationally recognised EPD organisation
. From our factory gates to the product ready for shipment, the CO2 emissions have been calculated for each stage.
We want the plastics processing industry to face up to its responsibility with us and increase its use of recycled materials.
We produce exclusively in our own factories in the heart of East Frisia in Northern Germany.
Through extensive energy management, we reduced our specific energy demand (kWh per kg) by 5 percent between 2015 and 2020. We have set ourselves the same goal again for 2025. Since 2021, we have been using 100 percent green electricity and also operate our own photovoltaic plant. We want to reduce our carbon footprint to zero by 2028.
The energy management measures include extensive optimisation in production. For example, we have installed more energy-efficient electric motors at our plants, invested in new compressors and introduced automated line management to ensure a problem-free production process. These core measures are supplemented by improvements in the administrative area, for example motion detectors in corridors and heaters with digital thermostats.
We have been ISO 50001-certified-since 2017, which means we meet the requirements for systematic energy management and have created an excellent basis for becoming even more efficient. In the near future, we are planning to use the waste heat from our cooling towers to heat our latest production hall. To transport our goods, we rely on partners with “Green Logistics” certification and use rail transport whenever possible. In the long term, we want to reduce our ecological footprint continuously in all processes. We have now recorded our fresh water consumption as a performance indicator, for example, and we are working on a constant reduction.
Since 2009, ENTRON eco granules, our specially developed, sustainable plastic granules, have been on the market. We now also produce customised PA compounds without elastomers, foreign polymers and impact modifiers using our newly developed compounding process – and we do so purely mechanically. ENNEAFIL, our third product range, was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Construction Research at RWTH Aachen University and was awarded the seal. We also advocate the introduction of generally recognised quality standards and classifications for recycled plastics. This is necessary to increase the acceptance of recycled materials and ultimately the recycling rate on the market. In 2022, we introduced data quality level labels according to “Innovation Through Research”seal. We also advocate the introduction of generally recognised quality standards and classifications for recycled plastics. This is necessary to increase the acceptance of recycled materials and ultimately the recycling rate on the market. In 2022, we introduced data quality level labels according to DIN SPEC 91446 across the board at Enneatech. When the DIN SPEC for recycled materials was published in 2021, it was a huge step forward for the plastics industry. For the first time, recycled materials could be classified according to defined data quality levels (DQL). In this way, high-quality and environmentally friendly recycled materials from industrial waste can be differentiated from products made from “off spec” raw materials. Nevertheless, further standardisation is needed to establish recycling products even more firmly. That is why we are currently working with a consortium of other stakeholders in the plastics industry on DIN SPEC 91481 – a standard specifically for polyamide-based recycled materials. As a provider of an innovative product, the trust of our customers is particularly important to us. We have therefore had our high quality standards in production and delivery processes audited: ISO 9001:2015 certification confirms our successful implementation and realisation of a reliable quality management system.
Secondary factors supporting our environmentally conscious business activities
Our dedicated, highly qualified team does excellent work every day, which we value 100 percent. We benefit from the diversity of our team, which has 11 different nationalities and varied educational backgrounds and experience. Our employees benefit from numerous development opportunities and health-promoting benefits, such as access to fitness courses. Our next plan is to introduce subsidised e‑bikes for the commute to work. Our safety officers ensure that risks in the workplace are minimised and a safe working environment is guaranteed. When building our new production hall, factors such as good sound insulation and pleasant illumination of the workplace were taken into account. We have also renovated and modernised all the social rooms in the course of the construction work. CO2measuring devices in our offices, ergonomic office chairs and other features ensure pleasant working conditions in the administration building. A pavilion, which is currently being planned, will also enable outdoor work in the future. Weekly organic fruit deliveries, local drinks and sourcing of organic products in the company are as close to our hearts as our joint sustainability and sporting events. We are proud that the average length of service of our employees is over 14 years. This testifies to our commitment to our employees and their commitment to us and underlines our appreciative corporate culture. We also look forward to welcoming apprentices in various professions every year. This is our small contribution to high-quality education (SDG 4), which is very close to our hearts.
Recent studies confirm that the preservation of biodiversity is an important basis for achieving the other SDGs. As part of our drive to do more in this area, on 13 August 2024 Enneatech joined the regional “Alliance for Biodiversity”, founded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for East Frisia and Papenburg as part of the “Engaging German Companies for Biodiversity” project. At the founding event, held at the Emden Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we pledged to join the alliance and, as a first step, to implement at least one operational measure to protect biodiversity. We have already been busy creating a near-to-nature garden in the administration building and a tree population around the production site. Furthermore, we have also set up some breeding and hibernation areas for insects and planted some fruit trees. Further measures are constantly in the pipeline.
In order to make UN-SDG 16 a reality, we have set forth corporate principles and strict standards in our Code of Conduct to whose compliance we are firmly committed. Furthermore, we have made our Code of Conduct for Suppliers the basis for any joint cooperation. We are also working to ensure that our suppliers also meet and implement these standards along the entire value chain. This applies in particular to areas such as personnel management, security, environmental protection and human rights. We run our business in an ethical and responsible manner, always in accordance with the legal and official regulations of the countries in which we operate. To identify and prevent breaches of compliance, we have introduced a whistleblower tool. To reinforce peace and strengthen the institutions of our constitutional state, we are committed to the idea of democracy and a strong, united Europe in our public relations work.
Our goal of further embedding sustainable development in the marketplace requires effective partnerships. Thanks to close and mostly long-standing cooperation with our customers, suppliers and organisations, we find solutions to ecological and economic challenges together. We are an active member of the plastics network Ems-Achse and WIP-Kunststoffe e.V. as well as the Vea Reginee, UN Global Compact Netzwerk Deutschland e. V., Bündnis für Biodiversität Ostfriesland und Papenburg and in the Industry and Energy Committee of the IHK für Ostfriesland und Papenburg. Through this interaction with experts, we use combined knowledge and years of experience to achieve the sustainability goal of climate neutrality.
Start your career with ENNEATECH AG – it makes sense – come and join us in East Frisia!
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