Sustainability Report 2022_23

31
Using long trucks to transport rear doors and bulkheads for
the production of curtainsiders has reduced the number of
transports per week between our production facility in Altenberge
and the supplier by a third.
⅓
of the transports between our plant
and the supplier have been
saved by the use of long trucks.
Water management
Handling conflicting goals
The Russian attack on Ukraine required adaptations
at our plant in Lithuania. Previously, the plant had
produced a large number of vehicles for Russia due
to the geographical proximity. As a result of our
withdrawal from the Russian market, the plant in
Lithuania now increasingly supplies our assembly
plants, such as in Spain, with semi-trailer components,
therefore, securing local jobs in Lithuania. As a
consequence, the transport distance for the
components, which were previously delivered from
our German plant in Vreden, doubled to almost
3,200 kilometres.
To reduce the higher carbon footprint, the components
are transported by rail for more than half
of the distance. This reduces the CO 2
emissions per
transport by 38% in comparison to transport
exclusively via road.
Our water management takes place
at all of our sites in compliance
with the legal requirements. Water is
primarily used in household-type applications. Due to the
style of our production, we do not need any special permits,
for example for handling contaminated water. Water
protection measures have been taken at all locations where
work uses substances hazardous to water.
At the Vreden plant, heavy rainfall in September 2022 resulted
in the joining material being discharged into the nearby
river Berkel. No environmental damage occurred as a result.
The drainage overflow was stopped and the sewage system
was flushed by a suction truck. A rainwater retention basin,
which will be constructed by the municipality in 2023 / 24,
will help to catch rainwater in a controlled manner in the future.
Further savings potentials for reducing water consumption
will be successively identified as part of the environmental
management systems. In the financial year 2022 / 23,
30,508 m³ of water was drawn from public suppliers and
29,554 m³ was returned to public suppliers. This represents
a water withdrawal of 5.1 m³ per employee. 3.882 m³ of
the water withdrawal and return took place in the plants in
Spain and Turkey, location is regarded as areas under
water stress. 953 m³ of water were consumed for the ventilation
of the site in Horstmar.
Excluding the Nordwalde, Manchester, Michalovce and Melbourne sites
The plant in Lithuania is increasingly supplying our
assembly plants.
➔ GRI 303-1, 303-2, 303-3, 303-4, 303-5