2020 Sustainability Report

38 Ecology As a manufacturer of high-quality products, we strive to achieve the longest possible product life cycles with the help of the following control factors: _1. Environmentally friendly raw materials To minimise the impact on people and the environment at every stage of the life cycle, we choose materials that are produced in an eco-friendly way and can be disposed of in their pure form, and we avoid those with poor ecological properties, such as PVC, heavy metals or azo dyes. _2. Product development Our aim is to develop products that have a sustainable high utility value and timeless design. The technical design and the choice of production processes are based on ecological criteria wherever possible. The entire life cycle of a product must be taken into Product life cycle Ecologically and socially conscious procurement _4. _5. _6. Durability _7. Remanufacturing _8. Recycling of raw materials Environmentally friendly raw materials Product development _3. _1. _2. CO 2 -neutral production and optimum energy efficiency Shorter transport distances