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Nils Henkel on the importance of sustainability for Schunk
Schunk focuses on economic, ecological and social sustainability
Reading time: 4 Minute(s)
Date: October 8, 2021
Company

Securing natural resources for the future

Climate change, finite resources - the topic of sustainability is of great importance to many companies. What Schunk means by sustainability and what the technology company is doing in this area is explained in an interview by Nils Henkel, Head of Finance. And he reveals who the first winner of the new Schunk Sustainability Award is.

Securing natural resources for the future

Interview

What does sustainability mean to Schunk?

Nils Henkel: For us, sustainability means, on the one hand, making a contribution to securing the natural foundations of life for future generations. To this end, we support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. On the other hand, we want to ensure through our long-term orientation that Schunk will still be a healthy and successful company in 10, 20 or 30 years.

Ecological sustainability - this is certainly the first thing many people think of when they think of sustainability. What is Schunk doing in terms of ecology?

Nils Henkel: As an industrial company, we depend on the supply of raw materials and energy to be able to operate our production. In this regard, it is clear to Schunk that responsible use of natural resources is essential. Our business activities must not have a negative impact on people, animals or nature. That is why we are working, for example, to increase the energy efficiency of our production processes or to save materials. We are aware that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, especially to achieve the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality. In addition to ecological aspects, our activities also concern economic and social sustainability. We can make a decisive contribution in several respects by developing innovative products that also help our customers achieve their sustainability goals. Initial successes give an idea of how great the potential is for Schunk.

Do you have a concrete example for us?

Nils Henkel: As part of our Schunk Innovation Contest this year, we presented a special award for the most ecologically sustainable innovation for the first time. This Sustainability Award went to the innovation "Schunk graphite bipolar plates for hydrogen fuel cells". These bipolar plates are needed to generate electricity from hydrogen. In this way, we are making an important contribution to powering trucks with climate-neutral hydrogen, for example.

Molded graphite bipolar plates for fuel cells and redox flow batteries from Schunk Carbon Technology

I was also impressed by the following innovation: Weiss Technik, a subsidiary of Schunk, has developed a new refrigerant whose global warming potential has been reduced by 90 percent - making us a pioneer in refrigerant development.

Another example where our products are advancing climate protection: Schunk has developed a forward-looking charging system for electric buses. This so-called smart charging enables fast and reliable charging of the batteries. Schunk is thus making the large-scale use of climate-friendly electric buses possible - hundreds of which are already on the road in the world's metropolises.

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Economic sustainability - what does that mean?

Nils Henkel: Long-term success is more important to us than short-term profit maximization. This already goes back to the founder of the company, Ludwig Schunk. When he bequeathed his company to the foundation, he made it a condition that "the management of the company be kept in a way which prioritizes healthy further development and maintains independence." This principle has a direct impact on our business decisions, for example when it comes to investments or our activities in research and development. Of course, this also includes adhering to internal and external rules of the game and organizing ourselves in such a way that compliance violations are avoided or detected as far as possible.

And what does social sustainability mean?

Nils Henkel: Social sustainability is about the health and well-being of our employees, among other things, because they are the basis of our success. But we also want to make a contribution to society beyond that. For example, we are convinced that high-quality education and training opportunities are a key issue in securing prosperity for as many people as possible. That's why we support educational institutions such as schools and universities, for example.

High quality education and training is essential for Schunk.

What's next for sustainability at Schunk? What are the next steps?

Nils Henkel: So far, we have essentially pursued our sustainability goals on a company-specific basis. In order to coordinate our goals and measures at the Group level as well and to monitor our progress using uniform key figures, we are currently working on an overarching sustainability strategy for the Schunk Group. The improved transparency will make it easier for us to make empirical values from particularly successful sites usable for the entire Schunk Group.

Our business activities must not have a negative impact on people, animals or nature

Nils Henkel - Head of Finance