Together for a sustainable future

 

We have been a pioneer for more than 200 years and will continue to play a leading role in our industry. This applies not only to quality and service, but also to sustainability.

  

We are convinced that our actions today shape the world of tomorrow. That is why sustainability is part of the Wieland Group's core business. Today, we are in the midst of a transformation that affects the entire economy and places high demands on us. We are not only ambitious with regard to our immediate business goals, but also measure ourselves against the expectations of future generations. That is why our sustainability strategy sets ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets.

Wieland: Sustainable copper production for tomorrow's green infrastructure

 

Reducing the carbon footprint of our products and processes, strengthening the circular economy and promoting transparency and responsibility along the supply chain are the main concerns of Wieland's sustainability strategy.

Creating value for generations



We know that sustainability is an ongoing process that requires continuous efforts. However, we are determined to continue pursuing this ambitious path, to persevere with our efforts, and to keep on reaching our sustainability milestones, in order to create a future worth living in for the coming generations.

Dr. Erwin Mayr, CEO




 

Our ambition

 

We want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by an ecologically necessary and politically driven transformation of the economy. The basis for this is our claim "Creating value for generations", which is an integral of the Wieland Group's corporate strategy. This strategy is based on three pillars: safeguarding the core business, strengthening the core business and pursuing growth options. We are guided by the principles of results orientation, commitment, consistency, familiarity and openness.

 

Our sustainability strategy and management

Our sustainability strategy is designed to drive progress in the areas of environmental, social and governance performance. It forms the basis for our actions and helps us to embed sustainability in our processes in order to combine economic success with sustainable action. We focus on six strategic areas:

  • Decarbonization
  • Circular economy
  • Eco-friendly products
  • Safety  & Health
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Sustainable procurement

Within the framework of our sustainability program, we have set ourselves ambitious medium-term goals for all areas of action up to 2030 and introduced corresponding measures. The Executive Board of the Wieland Group is responsible for this program and is supported by the Sustainability team headed by the Vice President Research, Development and Innovation | Sustainability. This team develops the global sustainability strategy and manages the continuous development of our ESG performance by defining targets and key performance indicators together with the other corporate functions and business units and by supporting the implementation of sustainability measures.

Our sustainability goals for 2030

Reporting, Ratings und Rankings

 

Our sustainability efforts are an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement and comprehensive reporting. Since 2020, we have published our annual Sustainability Report on a voluntary basis and in accordance with applicable international reporting standards. Through our membership in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Network Germany e.V., we also regularly publish our CoPs (Communications on Progress) along the ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.

 

The Wieland Group's sustainability performance is measured by rating and ranking agencies such as EcoVadis and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). In the 2022/23 fiscal year we were awarded a silver medal by EcoVadis. CDP again awarded a B score for our third participation, recognizing our active management of environmental and climate impacts. These performance ratings help us measure our ESG activities and provide a benchmark against other companies in our sector and beyond.

Taking responsibility for the environment

 

Protecting the environment is a high priority for us: we place great emphasis on an environmentally friendly production. We try to avoid risks such as water, air and soil pollution, as well as risks to the health of employees and local residents. We also handle waste and contaminated sites responsibly. Our environmental management system helps us, to further expand our commitment to environmental protection. The Executive Committee, in collaboration with the Corporate Function Sustainability & Technology, is responsible for Group-wide environmental management.

Decarbonization

Climate protection is an important part of Wieland's sustainability strategy. We want to achieve "net zero emissions" in our business operations by 2045. From this point on, all activities within our value chain should have no negative impact on the climate.

In early 2021, we joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to base our reduction targets on science.

Our mid-term targets have already been validated by the SBTi. We have started the validation process for our long-term targets.

Our climate targets

Net zero emissions

CO2-Emissionen

Our current Group-wide carbon footprint is approximately 1.7 million metric tons of CO2.

We aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by 46.2% (Scope 1 & 2 and Scope 3) by 2030. We have identified key levers to achieve this, from generating our own electricity from renewable energy sources to expanding heat recovery and increasing the use of recycled materials in our production. Our decarbonization roadmap sets out the steps we need to take.

Our renewable energy efforts

 

In addition to expanding photovoltaic power generation at our own sites, we are also investing in regional photovoltaic systems. This year, for example, a solar park will be built in Erbach, near our plants in Ulm and Vöhringen (Germany). It is expected to generate 29 GWh per year, which corresponds to about 7% of the Wieland Group's energy requirements in Germany. The 24-hectare site will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 18,000 tons per year.

Circular economy

Our goal is to increase the recycled content in our products to over 90% by 2030. To achieve this, we are increasingly focusing on the use of materials with high recycled content and copper scrap. Through Total Metal Recycling, we provide the industry with comprehensive recycling, dismantling, destruction and asset management services. Two new recycling centers in Germany and the United States will complete our efforts to create a circular economy.

 

New recycling and processing center in Shelbyville

 

 

 

Investment in a state-of-the-art copper recycling center in Germany

 

 

Eco-friendly products

We are continuously working on developing more eco-friendly products in order to reduce negative environmental impacts. To this end, we make targeted investments in research and development. As a result, we are already increasingly able to dispense with alloy elements that are harmful to health and the environment and increase the proportion of certified input materials. Through partnerships, we are continuously expanding our expertise and technologies in this area, utilizing synergies and making our knowledge available.

To permanently reduce the environmental impact of our products, we are working intensively on calculating the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). We currently calculate our PCF using a top-down, cradle to gate approach. The value is an average across our entire product portfolio. In the future, we want to obtain more precise and product-specific values. To this end, we plan to introduce a new calculation method in 2024.

Toward a lead-free future

 

We have not been developing new lead-containing alloys for decades. Instead, we are researching how copper alloys can be easily machined and formed despite containing less lead. At the same time, properties such as conductivity and corrosion resistance should be retained. As a result, the absolute amount of lead used in the product portfolio is being continuously reduced. Our ECOBRASS alloys, some of which have already received Green Circle recertification, are proof of this.

 

See the lead-free product portfolio

People & Culture

 

At Wieland, we focus on our employees and their development, safety and diversity. In our Group-wide human resources strategy, we describe how we create an inclusive and safe working environment through training and fair participation in success. This includes actively promoting diversity and equality in our workforce.

Safety & Health

Our global occupational safety strategy

 

Nothing is more important to us than the safety and health of our employees. We are committed to creating a work environment that minimizes accidents, injuries and health complaints. We continuously improve the safety of our employees through a global safety strategy. Its core message is that all employees go home safe every day.

In 2023, our global safety strategy will be introduced at all Wieland Group sites. In the coming years, we will establish new safety standards so that the safety strategy is fully embedded in our daily activities.

LTI rate reduction

 

Our long-term goal is to reduce the lost time incidents rate (LTI rate) by 90% by 2030 compared to FY 2019/20. Currently (FY 2022/23), we have already achieved a 69% reduction to 0.8.

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are deeply embedded in our culture. We treat our employees fairly regardless of their religious beliefs, cultural or ethnic background, political orientation, sexual orientation, age, gender, health status, and mental or physical limitations. Our goal is to further promote diversity in our workforce and to contribute to an inclusive society.

 

We practice diversity and inclusion through intercultural workshops, team building, awareness raising and training for our employees. One focus at Wieland is on women in leadership roles: We have set ourselves the goal of increasing this figure to 20 percent by 2030.

Civil engagement

As a company with a long tradition and global operations, civil engagement has long been a major pillar of our business. Not only because it is our responsibility, but also because it is who we are. We focus on four key areas: Education & Science, Social Affairs, Health & Sports, and Arts & Culture.

We prioritize projects and organizations that benefit the communities in which we operate. For more information, please see our Donation and Sponsorship Guidelines. In addition, our support should reach a larger group of people, such as teams, and provide long-term, tangible assistance. In particular, we want to support organizations in which our employees are involved or can participate.


Learn more

Sustainability throughout our value chain

 

Our corporate governance is characterized by responsibility, legal compliance and long-term value creation. To this end, the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board and all other levels of management work together in a risk and compliance process and ensure transparent internal and external reporting. We also take responsibility for our supply chain and fulfill our due diligence obligations. This is supported by a newly introduced policy on sustainable procurement, which sets uniform standards for all our sites and employees worldwide.

Responsible corporate governance

 

Our Code of Conduct provides guidelines for acting with integrity. Non-compliant behavior will be sanctioned. This applies within the Wieland Group as well as to our business partners. Our Integrity Portal is used to identify compliance violations both within the Wieland Group and in our supply chain.

The whistleblower platform allows employees, business partners and other third parties to report information anonymously by telephone or online. In addition, we conduct a Group-wide compliance risk assessment every three years in order to identify and evaluate potential risks for the Wieland Group in advance and to derive measures for risk minimization.

Sustainable procurement guidelines

 

As a global company, we are committed to ensuring environmental and social standards in our supply chain. We implement our due diligence obligations by clearly defined processes and in close cooperation with our suppliers. Key principles are outlined in our Supplier Code of Conduct and our Sustainable Procurement Policy.

 

The sustainability standards for our supply chain are documented in our Supplier Code of Conduct, last updated in April 2023. It includes minimum requirements for compliance with internationally defined human rights, based on the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related UN documents. It also formulates expectations with regard to climate and environmental protection. Based on the German Supply Chain Duty of Care Act (LkSG), we audit our suppliers on a regular and ad-hoc basis.

Initiatives and memberships

 

Your contacts for sustainability at Wieland

 

Marcel Christians
President Recycling North America
Andreas Torka
Senior Vice President Sustainability & Technology
Nathalie Kutter
Director Sustainability | Research, Development & Innovation

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