Sustainability strategy until 2030

We are already contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and have developed various solutions.
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Strengthen profitability and innovation

Our goals:

  • We use all our resources as efficiently as possible and aim to earn a premium on our cost of capital.
  • We will devote 30% of our budget to researching and developing more sustainable products.
  • We are involved in sustainability committees and similar organizations so that we can drive innovation in sustainable products together with our customers.
  • We involve our suppliers in our sustainability strategy.

Achieving excellence in occupational safety, health protection and noise emission

Our goals:

  • We will reduce the number of work absences due to accidents to zero.
  • We will continuously improve our occupational health and safety by means of preventive measures.
  • We will typify, routinely monitor, review, and treat as needed general emissions from operations (air and noise emissions) and greenhouse gas emissions prior to release.
  • We take on the task of monitoring our exhaust gas purification systems.
  • We are committed to finding economical solutions to minimize any emissions.

Ensure compliance with legal standards and create transparency

Our goals:

  • We ensure compliance with international human rights, anti-corruption and labor standards through internal control and risk management systems such as internal audits and a whistle-blower hotline.
  • We ensure that our suppliers comply with our Code of Conduct.

Partnerships to achieve goals

Our goals:

  • We are a signatory to the "Responsible Care Global Charter" of the International Council of Chemical Associations and are committed to the guidelines of this initiative.
  • We participate in the "Chemistry 3" sustainability initiative, which is supported by the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE) and the German Chemical Employers' Association (BAVC).
  • We ensure that each position is filled by the most qualified person, regardless of gender, origin, faith, and/or orientation.

Peace, justice and strong institution for people and animal welfare

Our goals:

  • We respect human rights and actively fight corruption and bribery.
  • We have implemented a Compliance Management System (CMS) to ensure legally compliant and socially ethical behavior. ZG operates according to basic principles based on the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the International Labor Organization SA 8000.
  • We have also created and published our own codes, policies and guidelines that govern the standards of cooperation among ZG employees and relationships with business partners. These documents guide our employees and business partners in all business decisions they make in their daily work.
  • We pay attention to animal welfare and provide humane treatment in accordance with the five freedoms of animals formulated by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Promote circular economy

Our goal:

  • We will continuously increase the substitution rate of natural raw materials through the use of by-products and recycled materials.

Be a good neighbor

Our goal:

  • We maintain open and transparent communication regarding our activities and performance.

Reducing our ecological footprint

Our goals:

Emissions

  • We will reduce ourcarbon footprint by 20% compared to 2018.
  • We will increase the share of alternative energies by 30%.
  • We will continuously reduce all other emissions.
  • We will continue to optimize processes with the aim of keeping energy and water consumption and the amount of waste generated during production low and steadily reducing them.

Water

  • We aim to reduce water consumption at all our operating sites as far as economically and technically possible.
  • We aim to implement water management plans at all locations in water-scarce areas and to consolidate these at a national level in order to develop an overall concept for reducing water consumption.
  • At Group level, all efforts are brought together in a global plan to reduce water consumption. Our production sites are located in designated industrial and commercial areas and are planned and operated in accordance with company-wide safety and environmental guidelines to minimize the release of substances into the environment that could affect biodiversity.

Soil quality

  • We will protect our ecosystems and especially areas important for biodiversity that are affected by our activities.
  • We will avoid illegal logging in accordance with international biodiversity regulations, including IUCN biodiversity resolutions and recommendations.
  • We routinely monitor and control our soil quality impacts to prevent soil erosion, nutrient depletion, soil subsidence and contamination.

Decarbonization

  • By decarbonizing - switching from fossil fuels to carbon-free and renewable energy sources - we aim to reduce and avoid ourCO2 emissions by 20% by 2023.