For us, the company and the environment are inextricably linked. As an independent, crisis-resistant medium-sized company, we stand for healthy and sustainable growth. For us, this means acting in a socially and ecologically responsible manner.
The conscientious use of resources and responsibility towards future generations are central components of our philosophy. For this reason, we rely on a certified environmental and energy management system and an environmentally friendly supply chain. In addition, our research and development department is constantly working on innovative solutions that reduce the burden on the environment and improve our customers’ processes.
Chart: our path to climate neutrality
Zeller+Gmelin is comprehensively certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, environmental management DIN ISO 14001:2015 and energy management DIN ISO 50001:2018.
Conserve resources + protect the climate
Our ambitious goal: climate neutrality.
Zeller+Gmelin has been working successfully for years to reduce its ecological footprint and in January 2020 became the first chemical company in Baden-Württemberg to be able to call itself a “climate-neutral site”*. In an extensive project, Zeller+Gmelin and its subsidiaries Südöl and Fluidmanagement determined theCO2 balance at the Eislingen site. The principle of the Kyoto Protocol’s triad (1997/2005) was applied:
For environmental reporting, Zeller+Gmelin follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a widely used standard for environmental reporting. In accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the company’s own emissions are divided into three areas, as shown in the chart below.
Scope 1 (direct emissions from controlled sources): Consumption of natural gas, propane, heating oil and waste incineration.
Scope 2 (indirect emissions from the purchase of energy): Electricity, district heating
Scope 3 (indirect emissions from the supply chain): Business travel (airplanes and cars), hotel accommodation, employee commuting, waste generation / waste water in the company, consumables production and office.
*Through energy saving projects and technical measures, we have significantly reduced our CO₂ emissions. The remaining emissions in 2024 -2,448 tons of CO₂- were offset by climate protection certificates.
Measures
Numerous energy-saving projects, optimization measures and technical measures implemented in the course of certification according to the globally valid energy standard DIN EN ISO 50001:2018 have significantly reduced theCO₂ value.
Utilization of waste heat
Energy optimization through the use of heat pumps can make better use of residual heat.
- Warming of raw materials
- Heating domestic hot water
- Heating energy, e.g. for air conditioning the production halls
- Cooling energy, e.g. for cooling raw materials
Renewal of the cooling water system
One important component was the modernization of the entire cooling water system. The new system works very energy-efficiently with a high degree of efficiency!
- Fluctuations in flow temperatures have been significantly reduced
- Increasing the recooling capacity of the cooling water
- Better use of the energy from the returning condensate and cooling water
Investment in photovoltaic systems
We want to increase our own generation from renewable energies. For this reason, we are increasingly using photovoltaic systems.
For example, passenger elevators are powered by photovoltaics, which generate electricity when they descend, which in turn is fed back into the grid.
Use of green electricity
To further implementCO2 neutrality, we only use green electricity. In 2020, we started to expand the purchase of electricity from renewable sources with corresponding guarantees of origin.
Further measures
- Insulation of pipes and systems
- Modernization of the compressor system
- Use of more energy-efficient transformers
- All new buildings are planned with climate neutrality in mind
Compensation
The remainingCO2 values were offset by means of climate certificates. The aim is to reduce these step by step.
However, they are temporarily necessary to offset unavoidableCO2 emissions. Zeller+Gmelin thus supports sustainable climate protection projects in developing and emerging countries. Our projects are non-profit organizations with a gold standard, including in countries where we are very active with subsidiaries. We specifically support biomass and wind power projects in Turkey, India and China.
