KLINGER Schöneberg awarded EcoVadis Gold

Following its 2022 audit of KLINGER Schöneberg, sustainability ratings provider EcoVadis has upgraded the ball valve manufacturer to Gold. Having further boosted its sustainability credentials, KLINGER Schöneberg achieved an average of 70 out of 100 possible points, placing it among the top five percent of all the companies assessed by EcoVadis.

“We are proud that KLINGER Schöneberg has now been rated Gold by ­EcoVadis. This is clear recognition of our commitment to sustainability throughout our value chain. It also reassures our customers and suppliers that we are continuously striving to be an increasingly environmentally responsible and trusted global partner in all aspects,” says ­Manfred Goßmann, Managing Director of KLINGER Schöneberg.

Extensive expertise

Since 2017, KLINGER Schöneberg has been regularly audited and certified by EcoVadis based on documented evidence. KLINGER Schöneberg was supported by DFGE, the German Institute for Energy, Ecology and ­Economy, which is a long-standing EcoVadis partner. As participation in the EcoVadis program is complex and requires extensive expertise in data acquisition, the DFGE provided support with consulting and inspection of the required documents before their submission. The EcoVadis sustainability assessment is a globally recognized, independent, fee-based service that analyzes the business practices and sustainability impacts of companies and supply chains.

EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings and has so far assessed more than 90,000 companies in 200 industry sectors in more than 160 countries. The EcoVadis rating is based on 21 sustainability criteria in four categories: Environment, Sustainable Procurement, Ethics, and Labor & Human Rights. Through consistent enhancements in all areas, KLINGER Schöneberg has transformed its 2020 Silver status to Gold in 2022, propelling it above the industry average in its sector.

Circular economy

A key to the improved result was the company’s sustainable procurement practice. In this assessment category, the sustainability survey of all A and B suppliers as well as their Supplier Codes of Conduct, confirmed in writing, boosted the score by 20 points to 70.

In the environment category, KLINGER Schöneberg has implemented a sustainable circular economy process. Through its cooperation with ­Rudolf Schuy GmbH & Co. KG – a trusted ­expert in the disposal of common metals and substances – KLINGER Schöneberg can offer its customers in the chemical industry a closed-loop disposal system in which the cooperating partner collects all industrial valves, sorts them according to material type, and forwards them to the appropriate recycling or material recovery service. In addition to its environmental value, this process makes a significant contribution to supplying the economy with raw materials.

CO2 savings

KLINGER Schöneberg has also significantly reduced its carbon emissions and its water and energy use by using green electricity and installing photovoltaics, as well as a highly efficient compressor. By introducing circular economy and reducing consumption of resources, the valve manufacturer upped its score in this category by ten points to 70.

Its score in the segments Ethics and Labor & Human Rights also increased by ten points to 70 in each case. This is thanks mainly to the publication of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, which contains the key performance indicators, tasks, future goals, and associated risks in all areas of corporate activity. A whistleblowing system was also established, allowing employees to anony­mously report observed abuses or violations of regulations without fear of adverse consequences.

Positive development trend

The certification process has highlighted further potential for improvement in all assessed categories, which the company’s management follows up on in each case. The process also provides assessed companies with a valuable comparison with others in their industry, which further supports their continuous improvement efforts. In this way, the positive development trend is to be continued and expanded in the future.

Many ­globally ­active companies, including KLINGER Schöneberg’s major customers (such as BASF, DOW, Covestro, Archroma, UPM, OMV, Bayer, Henkel, Solvay, Evonik, ­Lyondell Basell, Akzo Nobel, ­Eastman, Clariant, Arkema, Merck, Wacker, ­Lanxess, Oleon, and Syngenta Agro, among others), also participate in the EcoVadis system. “They keep an eye on our scorecard to stay up to date on our sustainability development. “KLINGER Schöneberg will continue to make a significant contribution to sustainable corporate development,” says Manfred Goßmann.