Sustainability
Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Neugart
Neugart takes pride in its role as an owner-managed family business. It has always been important to us to operate in a way that not only makes sound business sense while also making responsible decisions and continuing our efforts of sustainability. This includes, among other things, our commitment to low-impact use of nonrenewable resources, optimum environmental protection, and fair dealings with our employees and our local community.
Water
For years we have been using our own cisterns to collect rainwater on our premises. The water is filtered and treated for on-site use. This reduces our water consumption by more than 150,000 liters a year. In order to prevent water contamination from substances such as oil, for example, we store these contaminants in specially designed containers that are approved for liquid materials of each of the three hazard classes.
Disposal
Greases and oils are separated out of wastewater by a grease separator and disposed of accordingly and oil collecting trays are used in all relevant areas of production. We reduce the consumption of these substances by using special emulsions. In the disposal of substances that are hazardous to water, we always comply with all legal requirements. The detection process for electronic waste defines secure processes that also save paper and ink. We also require all our suppliers to adhere to these standards.
Electricity
To prevent unnecessary energy consumption, we always pay attention to an economical energy balance of all our machines and systems. It is a key decision criterion when purchasing new machinery or equipment.
Since 2021, we have been completely committed to 100% renewable energy and therefore, since the second half of 2022, we have been obtaining 100% of our electricity from hydropower generated in the region. At the same time, we commissioned a photovoltaic system with 749 kWp at our Kippenheim site to supply the factory with self-generated electricity.
The fact that we continuously and sustainably improve our energy balance is proven by the energy audit to DIN EN 16247-1. For lighting, we rely on LED light sources - in almost all areas of the company, outdoors and indoors. To keep CO2 emissions as low as possible, we use electric vehicles for internal transport. Furthermore, since the beginning of 2022, all new company vehicles are being replaced exclusively by all-electric vehicles.
Gas
In recent years we have significantly reduced our gas consumption, and, as a result of careful planning and appropriate measures, our CO2 emissions have proportionately decreased. One way we achieved this was by using excess heat from machines to regulate heat in other rooms.
Process Optimization
Sophisticated and intelligent processes are, at very least, just as important as clean energy and efficient machinery and systems. By employing appropriate process optimization techniques, sustainability can be significantly improved.
At Neugart, this includes
- avoiding unnecessary waste and transport
- efficient space management
- intelligent application of resources and material management
The continuous improvement of our processes is an elementary component of our improvement culture.
Suppliers
When working with new suppliers we insist on compliance with environmental management processes, per our qualification measures. Our partners must share our values in this respect. Only companies that meet all of our criteria may become part of the Neugart logistics chain.
Products
Materials used to manufacture our products are always selected with our eco-friendly mindset. Our products mostly consist of steel and aluminum — materials that are both 100% recyclable. We continuously optimize the energy efficiency of our products. The result of this is that our product range already includes gearboxes with a very high efficiency — up to 98%. But we’re not content to stop there: we are still exploring how to further optimizing our energy efficiency. In order to prevent heat loss and achieve enormous savings, we analyze efficiency in the per-thousandth range. Our products therefore enable our customers to use energy efficiently, thus preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
Social Engagement
Neugart maintains strong ties with the local region. It's not just our managing partners who are very active in voluntary and community roles. Social engagement is important to everyone in the company. We contribute in numerous ways both within the local community and elsewhere, through a combination of donations and sponsorships.
