In line with the United Nations definition, we understand sustainability as the overlap between social justice, environmental compatibility and economic feasibility. The interdependence of the three areas makes it clear that they cannot be considered in isolation from each other in the medium term but should be given equal consideration in order to maintain development for the future.
At Nordwest Chemie, environmental and climate protection and energy efficiency are high priorities at all stages of the value chain - from the supply chain to internal processes and customers. With our solutions, we want to contribute to satisfying the increasing demand for goods and services in a way that conserves resources. Environmental protection is therefore a core component of the sustainability approach and thus of Nordwest Chemie's corporate strategy.
We have firmly integrated responsible behaviour into our procurement processes. We not only make our procurement decisions based on economic, technical and process-related criteria, sustainability also plays an important role in our company's supplier management.
Our goal is to offer innovative products, technologies and services worldwide that contribute to the sustainable success of our customers.
To achieve climate neutrality (net zero), Nordwest Chemie has defined the following reduction path:
The 6 environmental goals of the EU taxonomy and the ESG criteria (environmental, social, governance) of the United Nations serve as guidelines for achieving our goals. Nordwest Chemie's commitment to pollution prevention and the transition to a circular economy also includes ensuring that economic activity does not compromise the other EU environmental objectives and that occupational safety and all employee rights are respected.
We support the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact and have implemented these commitments in our Code of Conduct. Human rights, diversity, fair working conditions, environmental protection and the fight against corruption - these values are not only important within our company, but also apply to our entire supply chain.
As a supplier to the automotive industry, Nordwest Chemie is focussing on the taxonomy topics 'prevention of environmental pollution' and 'transition to a circular economy' plus social expansion, especially in the supply chain. As a first step in this direction, we removed all raw materials containing PFAS from our formulations in 2022 or replaced them with PFAS-free raw materials.
We cover a significant part of our energy consumption with the support of our own photovoltaic system, thus making our contribution to reducing energy production from fossil fuels. We only dispose of our paint waste with disposal companies that specialise in hazardous substances so that no pollutants are released into the environment. Nordwest Chemie also endeavours to reduce the majority of paint waste. Products that are not sold can in most cases be incorporated into other formulations. In addition, with the use of our own distillery, solvents can be extracted from the paint waste and utilised for further processing.
We have already made good progress on the path to transforming our processes and achieving carbon neutrality. The carbon footprint of our products has already been determined and we are striving to achieve climate neutrality for the entire company by 2040 as part of a holistic sustainability concept. Since the 2022 financial year, we have calculated the company's current carbon footprint and had it externally certified.
ESG rating agencies assess a company's commitment to sustainable business practices. The assessment results, known as the score, enable transparency and comparability of a company's sustainability performance with regard to environmental, social and governance factors. Various stakeholder groups such as investors, customers and creditors demand ESG ratings as a prerequisite for business relationships.
We see the assessments by the rating agencies as valuable feedback on our sustainability performance. We also take the results as an opportunity to analyse our sustainability activities, constantly drive forward improvements and continuously integrate new requirements into our sustainability management.
Nordwest Chemie is aiming for a rating assessment by Ecovadis.
You can download our CCF-Certifikates >>here.
You can find the code of conduct >>here.
