Sustainability at scholz

For over 120 years, Harold Scholz & Co. GmbH has been all about colour. On the one hand, this is an achievement in itself, but as a fourth-generation family business, we also see it as an obligation for the future, for our employees, for our shareholders and, of course, for our surroundings: our environment and the community in which we live.

How do we do that? Step by step and as a team. Read more about this in our sustainability report.

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We want to become climate-neutral by 2040. To achieve this, we are pursuing a clear strategy, with already ongoing projects.

Whether it is the use of a digital filing system or the optimization of the cooling of the data center, Scholz is increasingly focusing on sustainable savings within its administrative processes.

Electric company vehicles and forklifts, complete LED lighting or the renewal of the heating systems in our production halls, we want to promote the change towards a more sustainable world and walk the path every day.

In 2023, we received the silver medal in the renowned EcoVadis sustainability assessment for the first time. The assessment was carried out in the four categories of environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

The EcoVadis sustainability assessment is considered one of the leading authorities in the assessment of sustainable practices of companies worldwide. The award of the silver medal underlines our committed approach and the effective measures we have taken in recent years, which we continue to implement and develop together as a team on a daily basis. Here you can get an insight into the Ecovadis scorecard.

Since April 2020, we have been part of the NRW Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection Network of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) together with six companies from the coatings, paints and adhesives sectors. The focus is on coming together, exchanging ideas and learning from each other. The focus is on energy efficiency measures, joint energy-saving targets and new specialist input from external consultants.

We strive for a constant increase in energy efficiency at all our sites. With the first certification according to DIN EN ISO 50001 in 2020, we show that sustainable responsibility is also implemented at our company; be it the continuous optimisation of our lighting concepts, the reduction of gas consumption, the improvement of our energy data collection or the energy optimization of our processes.

We also pay attention to environmentally friendly production within our supply chains. We always try to reduce packaging material and use reusable containers, be it the minimized film thickness or our proven reusable container system. In addition, fair cooperation and good treatment of people and machines are our daily focus.

Thanks to the new construction and organisation of the tank washing system, hot water is no longer required – so in addition to a gas savings of approx. 17%, we are also saving approx. 80% of water. Because: For the inside and outside cleaning of a tank, we only need an average of 100 l water in contrast to 600 l water before.

For several years now, electric vehicles have been taken into consideration when purchasing new cars, which has led to a gradual increase in the number of e-cars in recent years. Four charging stations with a total of six charging points are available at the Recklinghausen plant, which are supplied by the company's own photovoltaic system in good weather.

The purchase of new e-cars was supported by funding from the European Union - NextGenerationEU.

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Since 2017, we have been generating around 25 percent of our electricity demand each year through our photovoltaic systems. This allows us to reduce the burden on the environment by 140 tons of CO₂ per year.

A solar thermal system supports the provision of hot water in the sanitary rooms. The showers are time-controlled, which reduces water and gas consumption.

As part of the purchase of company expansion areas, a rainwater retention basin and a meadow orchard with 110 trees were created at our company in Recklinghausen. This meadow is maintained by the neighbouring school farm, which grazes its sheep there and uses the meadow for school projects in our region. Many insects feel at home in our wildflower meadow and enjoy sufficient nectar. As nectar and pollen collectors and at the same time as plant pollinators, the numerous insects are very welcome.