Consistently on the road to climate neutrality

What we understand by acting in a sustainable manner is responsible use of the earth's finite resources. For many years, GEMÜ has already been capitalizing increasingly on green engineering and environmental protection.

In doing so, we pursue our sustainability objectives in product research and development just as in CO2 reduction. This includes the construction of photovoltaic and solar systems on company buildings, efficient thermal insulation, exploitation of waste heat and the use of electric vehicles to take employees around sites.

Sustainability at GEMÜ

➥ Award for CO2 neutrality

“Environmental protection and the economy are not enemies,“ according to Gert Müller, Managing Partner of the GEMÜ Group. And it is according to this motto that GEMÜ GmbH runs its manufacturing site in Emmen. Thanks to a large number of measures concerning climate and environmental protection, GEMÜ in Switzerland is being awarded the Swiss Climate Label „CO2 Neutral (Gold)“ for the first time.

A voluntary analysis of its emissions in the 2020 financial year revealed a very positive picture for GEMÜ GmbH. With average emissions of 5 tons of CO2 per FTE1, GEMÜ GmbH is achieving an excellent figure in a sector comparison. 

The analysis reveals that around 20% of the total CO2 emissions are generated directly and primarily result from  business trips using petrol or diesel vehicles. Accounting for 80% of the carbon footprint, the majority of CO2 emissions are indirect. This includes commuting, consumables, chemicals, waste and water.

To reduce its carbon footprint, GEMÜ GmbH only uses electricity generated entirely by European hydroelectric power and acquired from the local electricity provider CKW. The power consumption for lighting and electronic devices therefore equates to just 0.1% of the total CO2 emissions.

➥ CO2-Balance sheet

At 194 tons of CO2, the transport used for daily commuting accounts is the largest source of emissions. By raising the awareness of employees and promoting initiatives such as “Bike to work”, GEMÜ Schweiz GmbH wants to reduce its commuting-related emissions in the future. 

The second largest source of emissions is the 177 tons of CO2 generated by consumables, primarily packaging material such as boxes and pallets. With CO2 emissions of 138 tons, business trips are the third largest source.

The results of heating consumption are particularly satisfying. GEMÜ GmbH primarily heats using heat recovery from refrigeration machines, which is why heating consumption is reported as 0 tons of CO2. In addition, where necessary, a ground water pump is used, the emissions of which are still below the target values for the canton.

GEMÜ GmbH is superbly positioned in a comparison regarding paper consumption (0.5 tons of CO2), waste generation (79 tons of CO2) and water consumption (3.5 tons of CO2). In total, GEMÜ outputs 613 tons of CO2 during business travel, which corresponds to 5 tons of CO2 per FTE.

➥ Support for climate project

To offset the carbon footprint, GEMÜ Schweiz is supporting the climate project “Renewable energy from sawdust in Bulgaria” by acquiring certificates and investing in a renewable system. The sawdust generated during the production of paper is used in a special process to generate steam. This, in turn, is used as a renewable heat energy in the production of cellulose, which plays a major role in the manufacture of paper. This closes the energy cycle. This climate project will save around 90,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Our corporate responsibility basic principles describe our understanding of responsibility towards people and the environment.

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