‘A commitment to people and the environment’ is one of the Kistler Group‘s corporate values, and to put these words into practice the Group has committed to a series of ambitious targets for sustainability.
‘Cut the Carbon’ is Kistler’s initiative to make all six of its German production sites CO2-neutral by 2025; at the same time, e-mobility is to be developed and expanded throughout the company. Kistler will also compile a comprehensive Sustainability Report before the end of this year. To drive implementation of these projects ahead and continue strengthening sustainability in the Kistler Group on a long-term basis, CEO Rolf Sonderegger has designated a dedicated sustainability team led by Franziska Kunz as the new Sustainability & CSR Manager.
“Protecting people and the environment is a heartfelt concern of ours. And that’s also why it numbers among our foremost corporate values – Sonderegger explains -. We now have a dedicated project team to focus our sustainability activities and goals so we can drive them ahead consistently”. Franziska Kunz, manager of Kistler’s Meerane site since 2011, has headed the sustainability team since 1 April 2022 in her new role of Sustainability & CSR Manager.
Kistler’s initiative to make its German facilities completely carbon neutral by 2050 follows the guidelines set out in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol for scopes 1 and 2: Kistler is thus targeting direct emissions from combustion processes at its own sites as well as indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling. To attain this goal, Kistler intends to make its entire production emission-free; production at all its German sites is already operated exclusively with power from renewable sources.
In parallel with this project, Kistler will also expand e-mobility throughout the company. Charging stations for e-cars will be installed at the Winterthur, Sindelfingen and Lorch sites, and the percentage of electric vehicles in the corporate fleet will gradually increase.
Above and beyond the specific goals set for the company itself, Kistler also supplies its customers with products that ensure sustainable management. For example: in the automotive sector, diagnostic equipment for combustion engines has already been making engines more efficient and thus reducing CO2 emissions for many years. In large marine engines, sensors from Kistler monitor pressure in the cylinders to cut fuel consumption and reduce emissions. Similarly, electromechanical joining modules allow large quantities of energy to be saved on joining processes in production, as compared to pneumatic or pneumohydraulic systems. “In all these ways, we play our part in global decarbonization and resource efficiency at many different levels”, Sonderegger notes.
Franziska Kunz and her team are currently summarizing all the goals, activities and results in a Sustainability Report that will make the information accessible and transparent to the general public. “We’re showing that we take our responsibilities seriously – Franziska Kunz points out -. And we’re focusing just as much on the social and economic dimensions of sustainability as on the ecological aspects – after all, we can only accomplish our mission by working together in every area”.