Sustainability Stewardship
Acting responsibly throughout the value chain – from research and development to the production and logistics of our brands and technologies – is pivotal to the way we conduct our business. The requirements of sustainability and corporate social responsibility are incorporated into our research and product development activities from the very start. The focus is on novel product concepts that combine excellent performance and improved environmental compatibility, while also providing customers and consumers with tangible added value. Our aim is to continue to make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful, through innovative brands and technologies.
Focus on the product life cycle
Sustainable development needs a systematic approach. To enable us to assume responsibility as comprehensively as possible, our experts analyze and evaluate our products “from the cradle to the grave,” with the aim of further improving safety and environmental compatibility in all phases of the product life cycle: research and development, raw materials, production, logistics, use and disposal. Improvement measures should be applied, in particular, at the points where the consequences for the environment are especially relevant and improvements can be realized efficiently.
Tailored approaches
A review of the life cycle analyses of our various product categories shows that suitable improvements often differ widely. For example, the main energy consumption and the associated carbon dioxide emissions have a very different significance in the life cycle of a laundry detergent than in that of a household cleaner. The peak energy demand of an household detergent occurs during its use in a washing machine.
Life Cycle Assessment for an Automatic Dishwashing Detergent
Here, we focus on developing products that can be used in an energy-saving manner, e.g. for low-temperature washing. At the same time, we try to influence the behavior of customers and consumers through targeted communication. To encourage consumers to conserve resources, for example, we participate in the “Save Energy, Save Water” initiative of the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A. I. S. E.). This initiative was launched to encourage consumers in Europe to save energy and water when using their dishwashers.
The energy consumption and the carbon dioxide emissions associated with household cleaners, on the other hand, are relatively low throughout their life cycle and are not generally attributable to their use. The carbon dioxide footprint of a typical household cleaner is about 90 percent smaller than that of an all-purpose laundry detergent. In cases such as these, we take different approaches to achieve improvements. These include greater use of renewable raw materials, the improvement of biodegradability, and the reduction and improvement of packaging materials.
