Glatthaar Keller invests heavily in sustainability
Glatthaar Keller invests heavily in sustainability and has been using only renewable electricity since January 2023.
The Company has an ambitious goal to be climate-neutral by 2030. Because concrete measures are required for this, Glatthaar Keller invests heavily in environmental and climate protection. Last year, they created the new position of Sustainability manager. One of the first tasks is to define company sustainability goals and initiate necessary steps for their implementation.
The topic of sustainability is not new on the agenda for Glatthaar Keller. For example, photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the headquarters at the three locations in Schramberg-Waldmössingen, Simmern and Weißenfels have been supplying renewable electricity for several years. Glatthaar Keller also utilises electric, or hybrid drives for the vehicles in the company fleet, and corresponding charging capability has been created at the same time. Employees of the company can lease a company bicycle and then ride an e-bike to the office.
New position: Sustainability Manager
“By hiring a Sustainability Manager, the topic takes on a new quality and a completely different dimension,” says the technical director, Dirk Wetzel. A first major task is the introduction of an environmental management system with the aim of certification according to the international standard DIN EN ISO 14001. In this process, employees are made aware of the influence the company has on the environment and what risks and opportunities for improvement exist. In addition to issues such as water and energy consumption or emissions, factors such as occupational safety and hazardous substance management also play a role. As part of the induction program, employees can implement their own projects such as a flower meadow for bees and insects to improve biodiversity.
For the first time, Glatthaar Keller will create a sustainability report that focuses on the three areas of ecology, economy, and social affairs. Based on the status, the report, which the company prepares in cooperation with the German Society for Sustainability and Economy, also defines goals and measures and identifies focus areas. “At the same time, we are developing an ecological balance sheet for prefabricated basements and floor slabs, so that our customers can receive state subsidies for new buildings.”
Switch to 100% green electricity
In addition to these large and time-consuming projects, Glatthaar Keller has already implemented various measures that improve sustainability. The complete conversion to green electricity at the three locations and in the production plant for precast concrete parts in Neuwied (BWN) brings significant improvements in the ecological balance. “Since January 2023, we have only been using electric power generated from renewable sources, which saves 124 tons of CO2 annually in the three headquarters locations, a reduction of 99 percent,” says the technical director. A further 127 tons of CO2 are saved in the production plant for precast concrete parts in Neuwied. In total, 251 tons of CO2 are saved, which corresponds to a CO2 absorption capacity of 20,085 beach trees per year. In addition, the concrete recipe was optimised in the company’s own precast concrete plant BWN, which means a further saving of 211 tons of CO2. To compensate for these CO2 emissions, a further 16,853 beach trees would have had to be planted.