Think Circular: With circular economy into the future

In its detailed sustainability report, the systems provider CWS reports on projects and measures for a safer and healthier tomorrow.

 

Visual CR Report 2021

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30 June 2021
  • In its detailed sustainability report, the systems provider CWS reports on projects and measures for a safer and healthier tomorrow
  • Sustainability as a business model: the sustainability strategy is driven by the circular economy with the three pillars Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  • Think Circular summarises the sustainability efforts of the CWS Group

 

Duisburg/Dreieich, 30 June 2021 - For many years, sustainability has been at the heart of the CWS Group's corporate strategy and business model. This year, the company is providing detailed reports on its projects and measures in sustainability. As a holistic provider for the segments hygiene, workwear, fire safety, cleanroom as well as health and care, most products are offered in a serviced rental model. This enables the company to optimise cycles and extend the life cycles of individual products and product components. This corporate guiding idea is summarised under the roof of Think Circular. The visual will clearly identify corresponding projects and products.

Circular economy as the basis of sustainability

"At CWS, everything revolves around holistic responsibility and the conservation of resources," explains CEO Jürgen Höfling. "By consistently thinking in cycles, we are already contributing to a healthier and safer tomorrow. We summarise this approach with our guiding principle "Think Circular". This clearly commits us to our corporate responsibility and simplifies communication to our customers."

The annual sustainability report provides a detailed insight into the company's numerous sustainability activities and presents measurable successes based on concrete developments and projects. The underlying group-wide strategy takes five points into account: Sustainable Products, Supply Chain Responsibility, Conserving Resources, Closing Cycles, Becoming Best in Class in terms of Working Environment and Employees.

One project is the Circular Advantage Study. This concludes that workwear rental contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions through the advantages of the circular economy. If service transport is included in the calculations, emissions are reduced by 50 percent compared to a purchased product. The reason for this is the repair and reuse of old clothing within the framework of the circular economy, taking into account qualitative standards. In keeping with the corporate guiding principle of Think Circular, CWS has developed a visual that will be used in future to label other products and projects within the framework of the circular economy.

Resource protection as a mission: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

"Through our circular approach, we reduce the environmental impact of our products along their complete life cycle. At the same time, we help our customers to effectively save resources. We follow the three-step approach of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle," explains Dr. Maren Otte, Group Director of Corporate Communications & Corporate Responsibility. "For us, promoting circularity also means thinking beyond our own value creation. To this end, we work independently and with partners to assume our responsibilities within our supply chain. In addition, we participate in recycling initiatives and research projects on fully circular products."

As a service provider of sustainable solutions in the areas of hygiene, workwear and fire safety, CWS fundamentally operates in efficient material cycles. From product development and material procurement to washing processes and service logistics, all company divisions work to slow down, reduce and close recycling loops. The overriding goal is always to conserve resources. To this end, CWS develops products that are made of sustainable materials and at the same time are durable, repairable and recyclable.

As a service provider of sustainable solutions in the areas of hygiene, workwear and fire safety, CWS fundamentally operates in efficient material cycles. From product development and material procurement to washing processes and service logistics, all company divisions work to slow down, reduce and close recycling cycles. The overarching goal is always to conserve resources. To this end, CWS develops products that are made of sustainable materials and at the same time are durable, repairable and recyclable.

First Think Circular label for the Green Mats

The Think Circular guiding principle is also used for customer communication. The first product to bear the new trademark will be the so-called GreenMats. This new type of dirt-trapping mats is expected to be launched in September this year and is completely optimised for use in the context of the circular economy. The advantage of the visual communication: sustainable products are instantly recognisable. Each square metre of pile material is made exclusively from recycled PET, and around ten used beverage bottles are recycled. In this way, more than one million bottles start a new life as dirt-trapping mats every year. Additional, the yarn has been further developed with the advantage that the mats dry faster and can thus absorb liquids again more quickly on its own and that cleaning is simplified. This means that up to 25 percent of the energy required for cleaning can be saved.

"We work on improving our offerings every day and on aligning them even more consistently with sustainability in all areas," says Dr. Maren Otte. "We use objective data to make the results of this work measurable and present them transparently in our annual sustainability report."

 

You can find the entire sustainability report here: Sustainability Report 2020/21

 

About CWS
With innovative, sustainable and digital rental solutions, CWS contributes to a healthier and safer tomorrow. The CWS offer is divided into products and services from the areas of hygiene, mats, work clothing, fire protection, clean rooms as well as health and care. CWS is a brand of CWS International GmbH and its subsidiaries. The group currently employs around 11,000 people in 15 countries. In 2020 the company generated sales of 1.242 billion euros. CWS International GmbH and its subsidiaries are 100 percent owned by Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH.

Contact

Laura Plischke

CWS International GmbH

Dreieich Plaza 1A

63303

Dreieich

Germany