Three faces – Three sustainable Stories
Sustainable business faces many aspects. VIVID asked three entrepreneurs how they put sustainability into practice.
Lars Peters.
CEO of Neue Werte: the company bakes bread from bananas that would otherwise not make it into shops.
What does sustainability mean to you personally?
Sustainability is very important to me. It is the responsibility of preserving our planet for future generations.
How is your business implementing sustainable measures?
Neue Werte works together with the bakery ’Ihr Bäcker Schüren’, making banana bread in order to save groceries from landfill. We only use bananas that did not make it into the shops due to optical flaws and that – despite their good taste – are destined to go to waste. We only bake upon demand in order to avoid creating waste on our side. Our bakery partner’s low co2 production and logistics approach complements our demand for sustainability.
How do you measure your level of sustainability?
The basic business idea is rooted in the fight against food waste and therefore the measuring and verification of sustainability are inherent to our business model. For example we source the rejected fruit through our own supply chain, that way we are always close to the point of waste. The amount of bananas we need is one of the most important, measurable indicators of the positive effect our work has on the reduction of volume of food waste. In our busiest times we can use up to 10 tons of bananas.
How do customers and suppliers perceive this aspect in your company?
Sustainability is the point of sale of our business model and invites cooperation because of it. Our business partners are experiencing great changes due to the increasing demand for sustainability. •
Mario Reale
Managing director of greeen! architects: ethical, ecological, efficient – these are the three “e's” that the architecture firm is guided by.
What does sustainability mean to you personally?
Sustainability to me is synonym with future. I want to leave an unspoilt world to my children.
How is your business implementing sustainable measures?
As architects we include sustainable materials that preserve resources in all our construction projects, so that we keep the ecologic footprint of our buildings as small as possible. The positive contribution of a building to the life of its users and the local area is at the core of all our eco-friendly projects. As architects we want to act responsibly so that we can protect our environment and climate in the long term. I am convinced that through sus-tainable planning and building we can invest in our future.
How do you measure your level of sustainability?
As an architectural firm interdisciplinary exchange is very important to us. This is the reason why we are a part of a number of sustainability initiatives, like Phase Nachhaltigkeit of DNGB and the Healthy Building Network, which serve as a platform for innovation and knowledge and therefore inspire crucial dialogue. Our colleagues have set up a team that continues this critical exchange in our office through attending advanced courses and in-house training so that we can become increasingly sustainable.
How do customers and suppliers perceive this aspect in your company?
We have noticed in our offices that the coronavirus pandemic has led to a change in thinking with regards to the shaping of our future living environment. However, even before the pandemic feedback was that customers felt that we were already on the right track. I think that our building contractors are aware that sustainable and healthy architecture has a great ecologic and economic value for society of today and in the future. •
Werner Drechsler
Managing Director at Druckstudio, the most sustainable printing company in Germany
What does sustainability mean to you personally?
For me, sustainability is not a trendy term, but has always stood for my conviction, which I live by every day.
How do you practice sustainability in your company?
Our corporate strategy is holistically geared towards sustainability. We have thus succeeded in implementing all three dimensions of sustainability – ecology, economy and social issues – equally and to the grea-test possible extent. As the most sustainable printing company in Germany, we pursue a holistic approach and combine the best possible product quality with particularly environmentally friendly print production. For example, responsible print buyers can have their print products marked with the “Blue Angel”, currently by far the most credible environmental label in the print sector, and have them produced in a climate-neutral way on environmentally friendly recycled paper.
How do you measure your sustainability?
In the course of our certifications according to, among others, the world’s highest environmental standard EMAS and the internationally recognized ISO standard 14001 (environmental management), the essential environmental aspects are continuously optimized within a continuous improvement process. All environmental measures and consumption data are audited annually by an environmental expert and transparently documented in our environmental declaration.
How do customers and suppliers perceive this aspect in your company?
Particularly in times of Corona, we are noticing that sus-tainable print production has increasingly become a decisive criterion in the requirements of many of our customers. •
Words: Tom Corrinth