Sustainability is more than just lip service for us – it is a pivotal component in our corporate philosophy. We are actively committed to environmental protection, the responsible use of resources and to promoting social justice.
With bespoke solutions and a clear view of the future, we are determined to make a positive contribution to people and the planet. Learn more about our sustainable initiatives and how we can drive change together.
We believe that the EU's target of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050 is an essential measure to mitigate the consequences of global warming.
The automotive industry is striving for climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, both in the use phase of vehicles and in manufacturing. As an integral part of the value chain, we support these goals within the framework of market infrastructure and legislation. To this end, we value productive cooperation with our customers and their individual strategies.
Our goals are to be achieved primarily through ambitious but realistic strategies based on the 1.5° target, which are not limited to renewable energies in the value chain, but also cover other topics such as the use of recycled materials, optimizations in the areas of transport and energy consumption, waste reduction, and participation in design initiatives to enable comprehensive recycling of end-of-life vehicles.
A more detailed description of our sustainability strategy and key performance indicators can be found in our upcoming report as part of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for 2024.
The DIN EN ISO 14001 standard defines environmental management systems for companies that support their continuous efforts to improve environmental performance. All of our production locations are already certified in accordance with this DIN standard, and we intend to continue maintaining this achievement.
In 2024, Kromberg & Schubert already used 34% renewable energies for its total energy consumption worldwide. For electricity, this figure is even slightly above 49%. Our strategy also includes the in-house production of renewable energies, which should account for a steadily growing proportion of energy consumption going forward. To this end, we are increasingly reviewing and completing investments in photovoltaic systems for factory roofs.
Our responsibility towards the environment
Companies also have an impact on the environment beyond their carbon footprints. We believe that water management and elimination of substances of concern are particularly important in this regard. Here, new EU regulations have paved the way to encourage cooperation between companies and jointly integrate the necessary measures into the entire value chain. Our strategy reflects these requirements and seeks to achieve continuous improvement in order to achieve these goals.
Managing water
We believe that drinking water is a fundamental right of every human being and have therefore taken internal measures to prevent any risk to the water supply of our employees and local communities. Our locations in regions that are exposed to the risk of water shortages are equipped with an emergency water supply from reservoirs or have harnessed well, rainwater or similar water sources to supply or relieve the local drinking water reservoirs in accordance with local regulations.
Energy savings in the plants
Our aim is to electrify all relevant energy consumption in our plants. Not only do electric energy consumers tend to be far more efficient, they also enable almost the complete elimination of direct and indirect emissions in the plants. Until then, we will perform regular internal audits to identify energy waste and potential savings and continuously improve the status quo.
Determining the CO2e footprint of our cable harnesses is not only a vital part of obtaining a clear impression of our environmental impact, but also for determining the CO2e footprint of the end products in which our cable harnesses are mounted. Besides reducing emissions, our aim is therefore to maximise transparency for our customers with regard to the sustainability of our products. We are currently developing processes to integrate more meaningful data into our calculations. Calculation of our product footprints is based methodically on our calculation of the corporate carbon footprint, which is currently in the process of finalisation. Our calculations are based on the standards of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most widely used standards for the preparation of greenhouse gas balances for companies.
As a family business, Kromberg & Schubert cares deeply about ensuring the sustainable design of our supply chain. We perform regular risk analyses that focus on human and labour rights as well as environmental, health and safety aspects in our upstream supply chain and coordinate closely with our suppliers through our suitably defined Supplier Code of Conduct, among other things. An early warning system supports our process of supply chain monitoring, which yields an extended supplier risk profile detailing a variety of preventive measures. We have also defined operating procedures on environmental management in a variety of our specialist areas to give further consideration to sustainable supply chains.
Vision & Compliance
The use of recyclates is particularly relevant in two of our groups of materials: copper and plastics. By increasing the use of recycled materials, we are reducing our consumption of resources and energy and in doing so promoting environmental and climate protection. The use of recycled materials is equally indispensable for us from the perspective of waste minimisation and material procurements based on environmental, climate and resource-friendly aspects. With a growing content of recycled material, we have already taken important steps in this direction. What is more, we work tirelessly to develop fresh ideas and concepts for plastic substitution.
We also attach great importance to ensuring that our products can be disassembled in order to promote the circular economy, . We remain in active dialogue with our customers and are learning how to support them with regard to the requirements of the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive and the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act.
With our International Material Data System, we have a tool for analysing material inventories based on various categories such as materials, substances and recycled content. Evaluations provide a list of materials contained in the parts, including their proportions (weight, relative shares). Reporting of carbon data is also under development.
We are aware of our responsibility for global environmental and social issues in connection with automotive supply chains, which is why we work tirelessly with OEMs & suppliers to create sustainable mobility.
Alexander Berger
Head of Management Systems & Sustainability
Companies are facing challenges with the wealth of new legal and regulatory requirements – but there are opportunities at the same time. At Kromberg & Schubert, we have identified numerous regulations at national and EU level, including EU directives, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
Although the requirements bring increased complexity and expense, we see them as encouragement to review our processes, refocus our sustainability goals and make progress measurable.
Sustainable management is a cornerstone of our company. Our intentions in this area:
And our thorough stakeholder analyses confirm: the expectations placed in us as an employer, partner and producer extend way beyond the legal framework – and are an incentive in everything we do.
With the new EU reporting obligation, we are facing the challenge of recording and analysing 1,178 specified data points. To ensure compliance, we have adapted processes and systems and made investments.
Instead of viewing reporting as a burden, we see it as an opportunity to perform a stress test on our sustainability measures, discover further potential and put it into practice. The first report based on the ESRS will be published here for the 2025 financial year.
We have adopted a holistic approach with introduction of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG):
We have expanded our use of the International Material Data System (IMDS) to log and analyse material data in order to eliminate substances according to the REACH regulation. Our goal: to make products and manufacturing processes even safer and more sustainable.
We are obliged to take measures against global deforestation under the EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR) by verifying the origin using geodata and ensuring approved sources for:
We stand up for transparency and responsibility. Our whistleblower system enables employees to report violations securely and anonymously in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) – yet another step towards trusting cooperation.
Sustainability shapes our actions in the area of procurement as well and extends throughout the supply chain. Included in these measures is a green procurement process, resource-conserving materials and the promotion of sustainable production processes at our suppliers. Our components are selected, among other things, with a view to resource conservation and environmental awareness to minimise any ecological impact.
Refer to Purchasing & partnerships / Sustainability for all the information on sustainability in the supplier network.
