“This award is very special to our company”, says Prof. Klaus Fischer. “I would like to congratulate all our members of staff and dedicate this award to them. After all, they all contributed to this success with their daily work”.

The twelfth edition of the German Sustainability Award honoured companies that combine economic success with social responsibility and environmental protection in an exemplary manner. The jury selected the company due to fischer’s holistic approach to firmly anchoring sustainability within its company strategy. fischer also received further recognition for a diverse range of its activities, including the anchors and mortars of the fischer greenline range, which are made of at least 50 per cent bio-based materials, and which were acknowledged for being exemplary. The company also saves all its CO₂ emissions generated through its energy procurement, and instead uses green power made of 100 per cent renewable energy. The work of fischer’s sustainability team was also praised for developing the sustainability compass with the corresponding monitoring systematics. In the previous year fischer had already made it into the finals for the coveted award and was praised for its holistic approach to sustainability.

“Sustainability has been an important part of our strategy for many years”, Prof. Fischer states. By applying the Continuous Improvement Process (CIP), the members of staff help avoid waste on a daily basis, thereby making a significant contribution to the fischer Group of Companies’ sustainability. “Only those companies that act sustainably can shape the future”. Which is why the term “future-oriented” is also often used nowadays instead of “sustainable”.

The German Sustainability Award recognises fischer’s all-encompassing activities across all company divisions. The following three projects are examples of fischer’s award-winning sustainability:

• Upon introducing a shuttle facility in the Global Distribution Center at the company headquarters, energy demand has remained at a constant 20 per cent – with an increase in output. The resulting work stations are ergonomic and noise emissions are low.

   

• Packages are now glued together at the pallet station instead of being wrapped in plastic foil. This saves 33.6 tonnes of plastic per year while simultaneously reducing CO₂ emissions by 177 tonnes per year.

   

• The company also purifies used oil in order to recycle it. This results in less waste oil, which is particularly environmentally friendly. The company has saved 23 per cent in annual costs since introducing the oil purification procedure.

Implemented sustainability products are displayed at various stations along fischer’s so-called Blue Path. The colour blue symbolises the sky, the earth and its oceans. The aim of the stations is to increase and expand sustainability awareness.

The fischer Group of Companies’ award is the result of a multi-stage evaluation process. An independent panel of experts chaired by Prof. Günther Bachmann, Secretary General of the German Council for Sustainable Development, determined the winners of the coveted award. The German Sustainability Award is the national German award for outstanding sustainability achievements in the fields of economy, municipalities and research. With five competitions, over 800 applicants and 2,000 guests, the award is the biggest of its kind in Europe. The award is presented by the German Sustainability Award foundation e.V. in cooperation with the German Federal Government, central municipal organisations, trade associations, civil society organisations and research facilities.

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