Committed to protecting the environment
Beckhoff has increased its CO2-reduction activities considerably since 2019. By financially supporting a climate protection project as compensation for its remaining unavoidable CO2 emissions, the company, along with all its international branches and offices as well as Group companies Smyczek and Fertig Motors, may call itself climate-neutral.
“Every industrial enterprise carries a responsibility to society in general, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” explains Johannes Beckhoff, who along with Anne Schaper is in charge of environmental protection and sustainability at Beckhoff. “We implemented the international ISO 50001 energy management standard already in 2016. It describes the requirements for monitoring energy consumption, pursuing energy efficiency measures and reducing the consumption of energy to become more energy-efficient over the long term. By taking these measures, Beckhoff complies with regulatory obligations and helps to implement the German government’s energy turnaround plans,” adds Anne Schaper. Since early 2020, Beckhoff, Smyczek and Fertig Motors have covered their entire power needs from regenerative energy sources and the companies’ own solar panels.
Purchasing green energy is an important step on the road to climate neutrality. In addition, the company strives to constantly reduce the amount of CO2 being emitted by its manufacturing and business activities. Measures like switching to energy-efficient lighting, improving the insulation during roof repairs and installing automatic night cooling systems that lower the temperature in the production buildings during the summer months have improved the energy efficiency of the Group’s buildings considerably in recent years. Some emissions cannot be avoided, however, such as those generated as a result of air travel for business or the employees’ commutes. To compensate for these CO2 emissions, Beckhoff began last year to contribute to the myclimate gGmbH foundation, which supports climate protection projects all over the world. Beckhoff is involved in the foundation’s “Back to the green island with efficient and solar stoves”, which has been recognized with the global Gold standard for the certification for climate protection projects. The project organizes the sale of subsidized efficient cookers to the people of Madagascar to reduce the rapidly advancing deforestation on the island. The efficient cookers cut the need for wood in half compared to cooking over open fires. Each cooker sold reduces the CO2 emissions by about 1.7 tons per year over its 5-year life. Beckhoff’s compensation payments during 2019 subsidized more than 4,000 of these cookers.
Beckhoff will continue to compensate for its unavoidable CO2 emissions by supporting the myclimate project in 2020. In addition, the company will implement further energy efficiency measures during its building and infrastructure renovation and conversion projects. Over the long term, the company strives to reduce its CO2 emissions to an absolute minimum or even eliminate them completely.