Sustainable on the move
Kurtz Ersa sustainability initiative “GoGreen250”
The overall goal of the sustainability initiative launched in 2020 is CO2 neutrality by 2029 – coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Kurtz Ersa Group. Enclosed is an overview of the progress in our six defined fields of action – these represent the entire scope of Kurtz Ersa and thus ensure a holistic view.
Sustainable Production
A lot has been done in this field of action in recent months – for example, all German sites have been supplied with 100% green electricity since January 2023. We are also pursuing ambitious targets for our own electricity generation: At the beginning of April 2023, our first photovoltaic (PV) plant with around 202 kWp in Wertheim went online. Two further PV plants with a total of over 1,000 kWp were completed in Wertheim and Kreuzwertheim in June. Also this summer, 70 charging points will go into operation at four German locations to enable CO2-neutral charging of our vehicle fleet. As an attractive employer, we offer our employees the opportunity to use the charging stations to charge their private e-vehicles. In addition, large-scale conversions to LED lighting have been commissioned at several sites, resulting in significant energy savings.
Sustainable Development
Here, everything revolves around the energy and resource efficiency of our products as well as innovative and resource-saving technologies. In addition to the goals defined in our development process, several projects are currently being implemented that focus on increasing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and the sustainable product life cycle of our machines.
Sustainable Procurement
Currently, the focus is on the preparations for the requirements of the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act (LkSG), which will also apply to Kurtz Ersa from January 2024. In order to be able to implement these various obligations in the own business unit as well as in connection with direct and indirect suppliers, the software “Osapiens” was procured, which will be implemented by Q3/2023.
Sustainable Selling
The introduction of a new CRM system will further reduce energy requirements and is an important aspect of the “Sustainable Selling” field of action. Among other things, this tool will help to reduce the amount of energy previously used for sales, customer care and services. Positive effects for the CO2 balance result above all from reduced travel. The switch to a lower-CO2 vehicle fleet to significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is also making further progress. Currently, 23% of all vehicles in the fleet are electric or hybrid vehicles.
Sustainable Living
As part of this field of action, various occupational safety measures and occupational health management measures were implemented. The focus of occupational safety was on training for managers, while occupational health management included flu vaccinations. In April 2023, health days were also held at several German sites. In cooperation with our health partner BARMER, there was a varied program on the topics of allergies, including lung function measurement, cold prevention and strengthening the immune system.
Sustainable Management
In 2023, Kurtz Ersa will again invest around 1% of its EBIT in sustainable measures, e.g. in the development of the e-charging structure, PV systems and the conversion to LED. In addition, this field of action drives the topics of compliance and social responsibility, which is why a new Code of Conduct was developed and published in July. An ESG rating will again give us an overall view of our further development. ESG stands for Environment, Social and Governance and measures the voluntary contribution of companies to sustainable development that goes beyond legal requirements. We will once again work with EcoVadis on this and expect to communicate the results by the beginning of Q3/2023. Our aim is to improve in each of the four categories “Environment and Emissions”, “Labor and Human Rights”, “Sustainable Procurement” and “Ethics”.
