05/05/2022, Munich
Klüber Lubrication has been awarded the "Gold Medal" by EcoVadis, a leading rating company for sustainability, and is thus among the top six percent of the more than 90,000 companies assessed worldwide. The specialist for specialty lubricants was able to score well above average in the areas of “environment” and “labor and human rights”, which are particularly important. Klüber Lubrication also achieved excellent ratings in the areas of "ethics" and "sustainable procurement".
EcoVadis is an independent rating platform that provides holistic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ratings. The above categories are included. “After receiving silver in 2019 and 2021, we have now been awarded gold – an important external recognition for our efforts,” explains Markus Hermann, Sustainability Manager at Klüber Lubrication. "The rating is also relevant for our customers, as they increasingly attach importance to such an evaluation of their suppliers."
Minimizing footprint and handprint
The award reflects the company's commitment to climate protection and the high standards Klüber Lubrication sets for their own ecological footprint. For example, Klüber Lubrication has committed to making its production and sales locations climate-neutral by 2022, which includes both energy-related CO2 emissions and emissions of other greenhouse gases. The lubricant specialist achieves this goal by reducing CO2-equivalent emissions worldwide, improving energy efficiency, using green electricity and switching to more climate-friendly solvents. It was possible to reduce these emissions by 49 percent to around 25,000 tons. The annual residual emissions are now compensated by high-quality projects. "If you look at the CO2 emissions in the entire value chain, they often amount to a multiple of the original emissions," explains Markus Hermann. "Klüber Lubrication is therefore also focusing on this aspect - and is striving for climate neutrality by 2045."
In addition to the company’s ecological footprint, far greater contributions to climate protection can be achieved through the "handprint", i.e. by Klüber Lubrication helping users to produce more safely, efficiently and sustainably. As a manufacturer of tailor-made specialty lubricants, Klüber Lubrication is very well positioned here, because this often underestimated component can make an enormous contribution to greater energy efficiency and sustainability. In 2021, Klüber Lubrication’s customers were able to save around 396 GWh of electricity - or 52,000 tons of CO2 - through KlüberEnergy projects and the associated increases in efficiency.
But also in the other evalutated areas Klüber Lubrication is making good progress. For example, in the area of “diversity and inclusion”, the goal of increasing the proportion of women in management positions to at least 25 percent by 2025 was already achieved in 2021. All of Klüber Lubrication's suppliers have also committed to promoting the UN sustainability goals, which is reflected in the area of "sustainable procurement". Several locations in Germany, China and Brazil have passed ethics and sustainability audits according to the Sedex standard with a certificate. An overview of the sustainability efforts at Klüber Lubrication will be provided by the sustainability report which will be published in May 2022.