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Sustainable process and production management

At our headquarters in Germany, where the largest share of our products is manufactured, we implement various projects every year to reduce consumption and increase biodiversity, and always aim for improvement in order to reduce the impact of our actions on the environment. Occupational safety and environmental protection are important pillars of the DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH corporate policy and share the same priority as other company goals. Our holistic approach encompasses waste, water, energy, emissions and biodiversity. We are also pursuing this goal in Sweden.

Unavoidable waste
Generating less and maximizing recovery

Through rigorous waste separation, we recycled 2,644 metric tons, or 95% of our total waste in 2024 at our headquarters in Traunreut, Germany. Two processing plants in our manufacturing departments separate metal chips from the emulsions they are trapped in. Reducing the moisture content of the chips to less than 1% in this manner enables effective and cost-efficient recycling.

On our enclosed machine tools, we increasingly use centrifugal extraction units, where we separate the picked-up cooling lubricant from the captured oil and emulsion mist and reuse it within the system. Non-reusable cooling lubricant is stored in centralized tanks near the cooling-lubricant treatment equipment, thereby avoiding the unnecessary transport of hazardous waste within the company.

We also use polymer nets instead of trash bags in all business units with suitable waste. This saves around 120,000 trash bags annually.

Savings and other facts from 2024 for the HEIDENHAIN headquarters in Traunreut, Germany

–20%

Paper waste

–23%

Plastic waste

95%

Recycling rate

120,000

Fewer trash bags used

Water as an essential resource
Minimizing consumption and preventing wastage

As the basis of life, water is a valuable resource that deserves conservation. We use water in our manufacturing processes but aim to significantly reduce our consumption. Through our water and energy recovery systems put into operation in 2024 for cleaning the filters of our ultrafiltration systems, we saved more than 80,000 kWh of power and, by recirculating 75% of the approximately 50°C to 60°C rinse water, saved 5,500 m³ of water.

Energy
Transitioning, conserving and anticipating

All our affiliated companies in Germany receive 100% of their electricity from verifiable renewable sources. This green electricity is purchased from a variety of suppliers. Around 60% comes from power purchase agreements that contractually specify the type of power plant, with hydroelectric power making up the dominant share.

At our headquarters in Traunreut, we have already been generating our own power through photovoltaic panels on the roofs of our production buildings. In 2024, we installed enough photovoltaic panels on these buildings to provide roughly 800 MWh in annual capacity. And more are being planned. We are also planning to build two company-owned wind turbines near our headquarters. When it comes to heat energy, district heating from Traunreut’s municipal utilities covers our needs under normal conditions.

And just as important as switching to renewable sources is saving energy in the first place, not least due to economic reasons.

Savings and other facts from 2024 for the HEIDENHAIN headquarters in Traunreut, Germany

100%

Green power

–2%

Electrical energy

–1%

Heat energy

2

Wind turbines planned

Emissions reduction
An ongoing environmental goal

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions at our headquarters in Traunreut, Germany, we have been optimizing buildings and equipment with great success. In 2024, we reduced our year-on-year emissions of CO2 equivalents by 28% compared to 2022.

Besides water, the cleaning agents we use include various solvents, especially alcohols and acetone. We are working to determine the suitability of less environmentally harmful alternatives while taking into account the rigorous quality requirements of certain cleaning processes. 

The HEIDENHAIN headquarters in Traunreut, Germany, where the largest share of our products is produced, has been climate-neutral since 2021.

Biodiversity
Creating habitats and preserving the variety of life

We know that built-up land is a common feature of a manufacturing site. Production facilities, administrative buildings, roads and truck courts are unavoidable. But at our headquarters in Traunreut, Germany, 23% of our 305,000 sqm site is landscaped as near-natural space.

One of our concerns has been to increase botanic diversity on our grounds and to protect and enhance natural habitats, especially for insects and birds. For many years, we have taken care to make our green spaces as wildlife-friendly as possible.

For birds, we have installed birdhouses and birdbaths. We were happy to report that all birdhouses are occupied. And insect hotels, especially at our densely built-up headquarters, provide a habitat for insects right in the center of town.

More about our corporate responsibility

Code of conduct

Trust, respect and transparency are the foundations of our corporate activities. These principles are firmly anchored in our Code of Conduct.
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Human rights

We take our responsibility for our employees seriously. At HEIDENHAIN, upholding human rights is an obvious and essential part of this endeavor.
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The environment

Protecting our natural resources is important to us, which is why we aim to continuously reduce the environmental impact of our actions.
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Sustainable products

Our products feature high quality and long service lives. Our customers are able to increase their productivity and reduce their carbon emissions.
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