Sustainability at MÜNZING | Münzing Chemie

Sustainability has been a deeply rooted topic for the MÜNZING group since the company was founded in 1830, with natural oil and fat chemistry for production of stearic acid and soaps. Sustainability is engrained in our DNA which is why we see it as our driving force to evolve and to develop innovative, sustainable products and technologies for our customers and business partners. As a manufacturing company with energy intensive processes, we are aware of the responsibility we have towards our environment and our society.

Due to this, we are committed to the European Green Deal, and we are investing along the MÜNZING group in various energy efficiency and energy recovery projects which will reduce the Green House Gas emissions of the group and generate a positive impact on the environment, on our customers and the society.

As part of our efforts to achieve our sustainability objectives, the MÜNZING group is operating in the following topics:

Increase the number of products in our portfolio which have renewable raw materials
Grow the number the recycled inputs in our products
Continuously work on projects which have the aim to save energy and increase efficiency
Method and knowledge development for determining CO₂-footprint at product level
Focus on circular economy projects to conserve resources

MÜNZING with "bronze medal" rating in EcoVadis assessment

Since 2017, MÜNZING is taking part in the sustainability assessment with the international rating agency EcoVadis. EcoVadis analyzes sustainability performance of companies in four categories – Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. With a score of 55/100, MÜNZING has been awarded a “bronze medal” for 2022/2023 which places us among the top 50% of the 75,000 companies assessed.

Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs)

As part of our commitment to the sustainable development, at MÜNZING we support the implementation of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we recognize the importance that these goals represent, both globally and in our company. We have been increasingly aligning our projects to the SDGs. We are committed to contribute to all 17 goals, nevertheless we have decided that the following goals have an outstanding relevance to the MÜNZING group.

The following examples express how various of our products and projects go in accordance with the SDGs:

Zero Hunger

We support the food security developing products like our powder wetting agent METOLAT® P 4288, which improves the wettability and the water uptake of dry agricultural substrates, to enable food cultivation even in dry regions with limited water access. We see the risks that the climate change presents to food security, and we work to direct our products into a more sustainable path. In Addition, our raw materials are not directly competing with the feedstocks that are currently used for food, as we are using by-products and non-food grade qualities, e.g. natural oils from rapeseed or linseeds.

Good Health and Well-Being

Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees and stakeholders. We are committed to providing our employees with continuous medical attention and disease prevention measures. To ensure workplace safety we regularly conduct training sessions to prevent hazardous situations and inform our clients about the health and environmental safety measures related to our products.

Clean Water and Sanitation

Our German production sites are equipped with wastewater treatment systems to ensure that no harmful substances enter the public wastewater system. Furthermore, we were able to reduce fresh water consumption at our Heilbronn production site by 11 % from 2021 to 2022 by efficiently designing production processes.

Affordable and Clean Energy

We are currently investing in energy efficiency and energy recovery projects along the MÜNZING group. By doing so we aim to fulfill our energy demand with cleaner energy in the complete group to reduce our global CO₂-footprint. We have installed Photovoltaic panels at our Headquarter in Abstatt, and we are planning to expand this initiative to other locations. Furthermore, we impulse the electromobility among our employees by only providing electric vehicles as company car, that can be charged by the energy collected by photovoltaic panels partly.

Responsible Consumption and Production

We are committed to reducing waste by improving and increasing the shelf life of our products. Over the last few years, we have increased our focus on sustainability by integrating it into various aspects of our company. This includes analyzing the life cycle of our products and calculating their PCF (Product Carbon Footprint), as well as increasing the representation of women in executive positions. Additionally, we prepare to publish our first sustainability report for the MÜNZING group.

Climate Action

As part of our efforts to combat climate change and to reduce the impact we have on the environment we are working on sustainable solutions for our products, that are based on renewable raw materials and are biodegradable. Additionally, have established a strategy in 2021 to reduce the carbon footprint of the MÜNZING group according to the European Green Deal until being CO₂-free in 2050, by moving away from fossil fuels and reducing our energy consumption.

For us, sustainability consists of three pillars: Environment, Economy and Social.

Environment

The vision for the CO₂-footprint of the MÜNZING group is committed to the European Green Deal and that was established by our CEO Dr. Michael Münzing in 2021. This vision is meant for reducing the CO₂-footprint and increasing the energy efficiency and energy recovery along the MÜNZING group and it has the European climate targets of the “Green Deal” as a base.

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Economy

For almost 200 years, MÜNZING has focused on sustaining and optimizing its value in the social, environmental and financial aspects of the company by creating a long-term value. By doing so, we aim to be prepared for the on-going transition towards a more sustainable business.

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Social

MÜNZING is constantly growing, from 2021 to 2022 we increased the amount of our employees in the complete group by 17%. we have the vision to increase the number of women working at the group and at executive positions. From 2021 to 2022 we increased the percentage of woman working in executive positions by 2%. Furthermore, we support the equal pay between genders. The skills, specialties and experience are the decisive factors for which the salaries are stablished.

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