The European Commission has once again recognized Viessmann as a pioneer in sustainable environmental management. The company has been using the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), the world’s most comprehensive and sophisticated system for sustainable environmental management for more than 25 years.
Viessmann was one of the first businesses to adopt EMAS. With its two production plants at the company’s headquarters in Allendorf (Eder), Viessmann has been an EMAS-registered organization longer than any others in Europe and is the only company in its industry to use the EMAS environmental management system.
Sustainability
“Sustainability has been an integral part of our responsibility as a family business for generations. It is today that we are creating the living spaces for generations to come,” explains Alix Chambris, Vice President of Global Public Affairs and Sustainability of the Viessmann Group.
“As a leading international manufacturer of energy systems, environmental responsibility has been integrated into our company’s guiding principles since the middle of the previous century."
environmental management system
The environmental management system supports our ambition to continuously improve and think holistically"
"We are glad that we have adopted EMAS for our largest production facilities. The environmental management system supports our ambition to continuously improve and think holistically about our environmental performance," added Alix.
“We are proud to have Viessmann, one of the most loyal EMAS participants in the entire EU, in our chamber’s district. We warmly congratulate Viessmann on its 25th EMAS anniversary and the many years of successful environmental awareness,” said Jörg Ludwig Jordan, President of the Kassel-Marburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Kassel-Marburg).
Environmental protection
Viessmann’s actual 25th anniversary of using EMAS was in October 2020. However, the issuance of the certificate along with its official presentation by IHK Kassel-Marburg was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Environmental protection is ingrained in Viessmann’s entire value-added chain, from development and production to product use and disposal.
renewable energy
Viessmann has done much for the environment in their 25 years as an EMAS participant and that includes the usage of renewable energy. The two plants in Allendorf, for example, have been consuming electric power generated entirely from renewable energy sources since 2012.
The site also has a dedicated solar park with around 45000 square meters of grid-connected photovoltaic systems that satisfy a large proportion of the local electricity demand.
green energy mix
Poplar and willow trees are cultivated on a 170 hectares site and supply around half of the 7000 metric tons of solid
The home-brewed green energy mix is supported by two biogas plants, three combined heat, and power generation units, and the recovery of energy from woodchips produced on the company’s short-rotation plantations.
Poplar and willow trees are cultivated on a 170 hectares site and supply around half of the 7000 metric tons of solid biomass that the site consumes every year.
Efficiency Plus
Instead of waiting for political decisions or legal regulations to protect the environment, Viessmann acts proactively to preserve the climate for future generations as demonstrated by the strategic sustainability project “Efficiency Plus”.
This program, launched in 2005, enabled the company to meet the German federal government’s climate targets as early as 2012. However, Viessmann also regularly exceeds the required standards for responsible resource management through day-to-day environmental management activities such as recycling and drinking water conservation.
reducing operational emissions
Viessmann has committed to reducing its operational emissions by at least another 50%
Viessmann looking ahead to the future, following climate science, and pursuing the goal of the Paris Accord to limit global warming to 1.5°C – has committed itself to reduce its operational emissions by at least another 50 percent compared to 2019 by 2030.
The company announced this at COP26 in Glasgow when it presented its first climate report. Viessmann has even looked beyond 2030 and aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
ISO 14001-compliant
EMAS is the world’s most sophisticated environmental management system. Businesses and organizations use this EU tool to demonstrate that they are taking responsibility for the impact they have on the environment. EMAS participants operate a standardized ISO 14001-compliant environmental management system and undergo annual inspections by government-accredited independent environmental verifiers.
They publish annual environmental statements containing detailed environmental data on matters such as waste, emissions, and resource and energy consumption. They also set environmental objectives and publish how they intend to continuously and systematically improve their environmental performance.
