Sustainability at ZBT

With our sustainability policy, we at ZBT have defined how we want to develop in terms of sustainability over the next few years. This includes, on the one hand, long-term, binding targets based on the Paris Climate Agreement and, on the other hand, interim targets and measures in various areas of business practice that will enable us to achieve our long-term goals.

Another important commitment is our participation in the Duisburg Climate Pact. This initiative is a cooperation between the city of Duisburg, the Lower Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce and local companies, which are jointly pursuing the path to a climate-neutral and climate-resilient city.

Whether it’s paper for the printer, office furniture or giveaways, we give preference to environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives when ordering office and business equipment – even if this means paying a little more. Positive lists help us to do this. When purchasing new electronic devices, we pay attention to high energy efficiency.

What else are we doing? We are striving for greater digitalisation – not only to keep up with the times, but also to avoid paper. In our everyday scientific work, we aim to reuse project resources as far as possible. And for our deliveries, we choose climate-neutral shipping wherever possible and offset any emissions incurred.

We encourage the use of bicycles for commuting by providing numerous secure parking facilities – a covered, fenced-in area will also be available again soon. Our company e-cargo bike, which can be used for short business trips, is also available to employees for private use if required. It is also possible to lease a company bike through the employer.

Although it is not our doing that we are easily accessible by public transport, this does contribute to buses and trains being environmentally friendly alternatives to cars for many employees on their way to work. An optional Job-Ticket makes the use of public transport even more attractive.

Our generous mobile working policy further reduces the number of car journeys, but is of course available to all employees regardless of their mode of transport.

Our two company cars are fuel cell electric vehicles that are at least locally emission-free. Nevertheless, business trips should preferably be made by train and only in exceptional cases by plane.

When the car park was redesigned, 36 parking spaces with charging facilities for electric cars were created to make it easier for employees to switch to low-emission mobility. In addition, permeable paving was laid, with plants growing in the gaps to help reduce the area’s heat build-up in summer. Newly planted native trees, hedges and shrubs serve the same purpose and are also a source of food and habitat for many animals.

We have found another lever for greater sustainability in our catering. For some time now, ZBT has been ordering exclusively vegetarian catering for its own events, usually with vegan alternatives. In this way, we want to contribute to reducing meat production, which is harmful to the climate and associated with high land use.

External organisers are of course free to choose what is served at their events at ZBT.

In addition, we strive to offer as many events as possible in a hybrid format to reduce travel and thus emissions.

On World Environment Day, we highlighted the role of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source in our communications. Hydrogen technologies play a key role in our vision for a clean and sustainable energy future.

During our internal clean-up campaign on World Environment Day, we cleared rubbish from the area surrounding the institute. Within two hours, we collected more than 100 kg of rubbish.

We have set up a sustainability working group to coordinate and continuously improve our efforts to achieve greater sustainability. This working group is responsible for initiating sustainable projects and supporting their implementation, sharing best practices and promoting awareness of sustainability within our company.

Through regular working group meetings and the exchange of ideas, we ensure that we always remain at the forefront of sustainable development and strive for continuous improvement.

We have already initiated many improvements in the area of sustainability, such as the photovoltaic system and our participation in the Duisburg Climate Pact. However, these measures are only the beginning. We strive to further increase our energy efficiency, reduce CO₂ emissions and develop and promote sustainable technologies.

The path to maximum sustainability is a continuous process that requires constant adjustments and improvements. We constantly review and improve our sustainable practices to have the greatest possible positive impact on the environment.

At ZBT, sustainability is a commitment and a central part of our corporate philosophy. Through technical innovations, active participation in local climate protection initiatives and the ongoing work of our sustainability working group, we make a valuable contribution to tackling global environmental problems. In doing so, we demonstrate how important it is to take responsibility and actively work towards a more sustainable future.