With All of Our Energy

On 22 June 2021, we again received our ISO 50001 certificate for our energy management system – but what does that actually mean?

Behind the abbreviation

The abbreviation ISO stands for “International Organization for Standardization”, which supports companies in establishing a systematic energy management system. This globally valid standard was published in 2011 and is voluntary for companies – no company is required by law to apply for this certificate.

The goal behind it

ISO 50001 pursues goals such as the reduction of energy consumption, the minimisation of greenhouse gas emissions and the reduction of energy costs. These goals not only make an enormous contribution within the company, but also have an additional effect on the protection of the climate and the environment.

Systematics are the key

Within the company, an energy policy is developed, energy goals are set, which are to be achieved within a fixed period of time. The implementation of action plans resulting from the energy policy should ensure that the self-defined goals and targets are met. An energy officer is appointed and the implementation of the action plans is regularly checked – if the requirements are met, the company receives certification, as we did again this year on the 22nd of June.

The certification or audit is carried out by an external, independent environmental auditing organisation.

It is also important to note that it is not just a matter of developing a one-off energy concept, but that there is a constant exchange within the group in order to be able to implement the concept.

Efficient energy management

Our energy management records what energy is used for, where it comes from and how it is consumed.

We collect this data so that we can develop and implement further measures and strategies to use our energy even more efficiently and minimise our consumption.

These measures help to improve our efficiency in the long term and to identify “energy guzzlers” – we can then take direct countermeasures so that energy is not consumed unnecessarily. This benefits not only us, due to falling energy costs, but also the environment. That is why, as a future-oriented company, we also rely on green energy at all our production sites. This means that our production sites use 100% green electricity from hydropower and 100% climate-neutralised natural gas as standard. This offers our customers the additional option of using the eco-energy logo of climate-friendly production in the layout of their print product.

Furthermore, we are planning a seasonal heat storage system at our Meldorf site, with the help of which our waste heat will be stored in summer in order to supply public buildings with hot water in winter. This will increase our waste heat utilisation to 90 % and in turn reduce CO₂ emissions for heating municipal buildings by 90 %.

Jana Fölsch / Marie Hennschen