The future
from sustainable sources
Redtenbacher anticipated the issue of sustainability many years ago. This may also be due to the fact that we have a very special relationship with nature because of our location in one of the most beautiful regions of Austria. As a result, we are perhaps observing all the changes that climate change is bringing about in our immediate surroundings a little more sensitively and more closely. In fact, it has the potential to radically change our lives and economies in the negative sense in the medium term. High time, then, for all companies to initiate a positive turnaround and counteract global warming and environmental destruction with appropriate strategies. This applies to us too, of course!
Agenda 2030:
transformation instead of stagnation
By generating a large part of the electricity we need in our own hydropower plant, we set a first strong signal a long time ago with regard to the use of sustainable resources. But that would be too little for us in light of the current developments regarding the climate and environment. For this reason, we are in the process of developing an ambitious sustainability strategy with the 2030 Agenda.
Based on the motto “Vision. Change. Networking”, we are acting in the following way:
- Analysing future risks and exploiting opportunities that arise in the area of sustainability
- Implementing operational measures that drive the transformation towards sustainability
- Use existing business ecosystems to accelerate the change process and implement it in a way that makes business sense
That means: Redtenbacher is not only aware of its responsibilities towards all customers. We are also increasingly assuming them for the environment and the climate. Because in the long term, people can only do well if the earth is doing well. We want to work on that.
In short: generating 100% of our energy ourselves
Redtenbacher has already been producing a large proportion of the electricity it needs, entirely CO2-free. In concrete terms that is 70 percent of its consumption, which is supplied by two in-house hydroelectric plants and a photovoltaic system. By 2024 we will be in a position to cover our entire electricity requirements. But that is not nearly all that Redtenbacher is doing for the environment in the framework of its sustainability strategy.
Maximum resource-efficiency in production
In production, we work almost exclusively with highly modern, electrically powered machines. Their efficiency is extremely high, at 99 percent. In addition to this, we also save valuable resources while milling by using the necessary coolant in a closed circuit. This means that it is purified after use and utilised again in the same run. This way we reduce the use of chemicals by 80 percent.
Using waste heat for hot water and heating
In some fields, we work with pneumatic machines to produce our high-quality products. The compressors of these machines generate heat that normally goes to waste. Not at Redtenbacher. Because we utilise this valuable energy, using it to produce hot water and to heat our buildings by means of heat exchangers. With this intelligent measure alone we reduce our annual CO2 emissions by around 30 tonnes.