KraussMaffei has published its inaugural sustainability report, documenting its commitment to generate and pursue greater sustainability in the plastics industry for the first time.
The 93-page report, which appeared under the title TrueBlue, outlines its sustainability strategy and goals, provides a comprehensive overview of all the initiatives, progress, and projects and illustrates the instruments and measures used by KraussMaffei to fulfil its corporate responsibility in the areas of the economy, environment and social affairs. A comprehensive analysis based on data collected from KraussMaffei sites worldwide led to some 27 relevant topics being identified, defined and prioritised. These formed the basis of the report. “Our first sustainability report covers the entire KraussMaffei Group as of 2023 with all our locations in 19 countries,” said Dr. Alexandra Coffey, senior manager sustainability and head of corporate communications and marketing. “As a manufacturing company, our focus is on human rights, supply chain due diligence, the circular economy and climate protection. KraussMaffei has defined strategic goals in these areas."
Among these is the aim to achieve carbon neutrality in its own business area by 2030 and carbon neutrality in the machines and systems it produces (product carbon footprint) by 2035.
There are also plans to expand the certification of sites in the areas of the environment and energy and to obtain ISO 50001 certification for the Parsdorf site by mid-2025. Employees will also receive further training on human rights in the supply chain and be made more aware of the issue.
“For KraussMaffei, sustainability means not only an environmentally conscious attitude but also responsibility in all areas of the company, towards our environment and as part of our society,” explained Chi Zhang, CEO of KraussMaffei.
“Our sustainability report documents that we take our responsibility seriously and that our customers and partners can rely on a transparent and responsible partner with whom they can ensure sustainability in their own supply chain and fulfil legal requirements.”
The report also outlines the company’s long-standing engagement in promoting sustainability through various initiatives and measures, such as those being implemented in its business units worldwide, to ensure environmentally friendly processes and safe and fair working conditions. In 2023 alone, € 75 million was invested in new production facilities, including installing one of the largest rooftop PV systems in Europe at Parsdorf. With a capacity of 9.1 MWp, the system enabled KraussMaffei to generate 46% of its electricity requirement therein in 2023.
Another measure involved screening 7,887 suppliers for human rights, equal treatment, occupational health and safety risks, environmental requirements and social standards.
The report also highlighted the solutions developed by KraussMaffei designed to aid customers in achieving efficient processes and reducing operational CO2 emissions. An example is developing and field testing an injection moulding foaming process for post-consumer recyclate. The process can reduce component weight and cut the associated emissions. Another achievement mentioned in the report was the creation of the Lifecycle Value Calculator- a software-based tool enabling users to determine the CO2 savings potential of a machine for a specific application and over the entire lifecycle.
The True Blue report also touched on the economic situation of the company over the past several years but emphasised that ‘the economic stability of the company is secured for the long term: As part of Sinochem, an affiliated group with around 210,000 employees and total assets of 304.1 billion renminbi (RMB), the KraussMaffei Group has a solid foundation to finance current and future challenges’.
The report was prepared in accordance with the international GRI 2021 standard (GRI = Global Reporting Initiative). An independent testing institute audited the report in accordance with the Account Ability Assurance Standard 2020 (AA 1000 AS v3) and awarded the corresponding certificates.