Sustainable.

Out of conviction.

Rethinking plastic as a valuable material

For us, assuming corporate responsibility does not only mean being economically successful in the long term. It also means emphasising our commitment to sustainability and firmly anchoring it in our actions and decisions. Particularly in view of the fact that the product "plastic" has often been the focus of blanket criticism in the past.

In 2020, we accepted the challenge of embedding our long-standing commitment to greater sustainability in a strategy for the future, including a CSR approach with specific targets. We want to be assessed on the basis of the achievement of these targets. Since then, we have consistently aligned all operational activities with the requirements of a functioning circular economy, involving our employees and improving our working methods.

Plastic can and will be the material of the transformation process towards a sustainable future, if we are prepared to handle it properly collectively.

Let's talk about it.


Sandra Burwinkel
Sustainability Manager


Circular Economy

UTILISATION

The finished product is then delivered and is put into use.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

We develop innovative, sustainable product ideas together with our customers and produce the corresponding moulds.

COLLECTING AND SORTING

To conserve resources, we collect and sort our own used, recyclable plastic parts and scrap goods or recycled materials from our partners.

PROCESSING AND RECYCLING

The material is chopped up in the "shredder". The regranulate is then ready for recycling.

DRYING AND MIXING

The raw material is dried and mixed with color granules if necessary.

PROCESSING IN THE INJECTION MOULDING PROCEDURE

The respective material is moulded into the desired shape using an injection moulding process which saves material and energy.

QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND APPROVAL

Within quality management, the plastic parts are tested and approved with regard to the requirements and quality criteria.

Milestones in our
development of sustainability

  • 1978

    The so-called " three pillars of sustainability" of economic growth opportunities, ecological aspects and social justice have determined our actions since Franz Burwinkel founded our medium-sized family business in 1978.

    • 1
  • The 1980s

    First involvement with the circular economy and recycling, start of the use of recyclates.

  • June 2021

    Workshop at management level with an office for sustainability management and communication with the goal of bundling previous sustainability activities and implementing a concrete strategy within the company. Appointment of Sandra Burwinkel as the company's sustainability manager.

  • Autumn 2021

    Survey within the company entitled "The importance of sustainability and climate protection for Burwinkel". This was carried out by the CEO's two children and resulted in the production of an internal company film.

  • January 2022

    Workshop with the company's specialists and managers with the goal of comparing the mission and vision developed by the management and developing the three fields of action in the area of sustainability: Sustainable production and processes, product development and markets, corporate culture and communication.

  • Introduction of an environmental management system
    March 2022

    Introduction of an environmental management system

    Introduction of an environmental management system that complies with DIN EN ISO 14001 and is certified by the German Association for the Certification of Management GZQ GmbH.

  • March 2022

    Presentation of the sustainability strategy at three information events and invitation to all employees to actively participate in three working groups which were to be set up.

  • May 2022

    The three working groups with employees from the various divisions start working.

  • November 2022

    Development of the new mission statement "For us, sustainable action is not an intent, but a mindset", revision of the Code of Conduct, new brand claim: "In shape. For tomorrow.“


  • Last quarter 2022

    The start of determining our CO2 footprint using the energy tool from the "SME Energy Transition and Climate Protection Initiative".

  • March 2023

    Development of concrete sustainability targets in a workshop at management level.

  • First quarter 2023

    Entry into the documentation and communication of sustainability reporting via the German Sustainability Code (DNK), submission in April 2023.

  • Autumn 2023

    Approval and publication of the Sustainability Code report and the printed version of the sustainability report.

  • 2024

    On the road. For Tomorrow.

Our CSR approach

For us, sustainable action is not an intention, but a mindset

Sustainable, resource conserving management at all levels; this was the driving force behind Franz Burwinkel as the founder of our family business. His son Martin Burwinkel continues along this path as Managing Director. We consolidated our sustainability activities in 2022 and embedded them in a sustainable strategy for the future. Our corporate mission statement: “For us, sustainable action is not an intention, but a mindset.“

We believe, corporate social responsibility means acting responsibly with regard to the climate crisis and environmental aspects ("ecologically friendly"), the interests of our employees, the region and society ("socially responsible") and the profitability of the company ("economically innovative"), and not just since yesterday.

We live this mindset: We anchor it in our family business and in our employees, who go this path with us. And we express it in dialogue with our customers, suppliers and all other stakeholders.

Our objective is to constantly improve together. To face the challenges with a view towards a sustainable future. Rethinking plastics. And to take responsibility for the environment and future generations.

Economy

We act in an economically innovative manner because we are convinced that sustainable management will make our company fit for the future. We are responsible for and control sustainability management at management level. We are also in close dialogue with our stakeholders. Aspects such as transparency, participation and "learning from each other" are very important to us. We work together on new, innovative product solutions, in the spirit of the circular economy.

Our economic targets

Flexible positioning on the market and new product development are key sustainability issues for us in the area of economics. We are open to technology and focus on industrial diversity, continue to drive research and development through scientific collaborations and want to further increase the number of sustainable products in our range.

We have identified the circular economy, resource efficiency and climate protection as our core topics in the area of ecology. We have set ourselves concrete targets for the use of recyclates and materials, the CO2 footprint, renewable energies and our electric vehicle fleet.
to the overview of our targets
Our economic targets
Concrete example

In August 2023, we organised an in-house seminar with one of our customers on the topic of "Material training". We gave lectures on the properties of materials and plastics, outlined types and areas of application for plastics, showed practical examples, discussed injection moulding processes, product design and testing methods and gave a tour of our company.
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Concrete example

Ecology

We act in an ecologically friendly manner: On the road to climate neutrality, we are rethinking plastic as a recyclable material. By integrating closed-loop systems, increasing the use of recycled materials with new product solutions and utilising renewable energies in strong scientific partnerships. To make our sustainability activities and goals measurable, we measured our carbon footprint for the first time in 2022.

Our ecological targets

We have identified the circular economy, resource efficiency and climate protection as our core topics in the area of ecology. We have set ourselves concrete targets for the use of recyclates and materials, the CO2 footprint, renewable energies and our electric vehicle fleet.
to the overview of our targets
Our ecological targets
Concrete example

We have developed our ECO-Products² in response to increasing environmental awareness and the demand for sustainable products. These are environmentally friendly injection-moulded plastic parts made from recompounds, the production of which reduces plastic waste and conserves natural resources. For example, we use "Green PE", a bio-based polyethylene made from the renewable raw material sugar cane. This means that these plastic parts are both organic and recyclable.
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Concrete example

Our Social Targets

We act with social integrity: As a family business, we have always felt a strong connection to our employees and our home region, the Oldenburger Münsterland. We focus on diversity and commitment. Other key issues include health and safety at work, fair pay, professional qualifications and the recruitment of skilled labor, a vibrant corporate culture and the common good.

Our social targets

In the area of social affairs, it is essential for us to further strengthen our regional ties, our corporate culture and expertise and to be a reliable employer. Key levers for this are, for example, employee recruitment and retention, networks through partnerships and sponsorship, occupational health and safety policies and the fields of training and further education.
to the overview of our targets
Our social targets
Concrete example

As part of the Lower Saxony decree "Education for Sustainable Development ("BNE")", we entered into a partnership with the St. Antonius primary school at our company headquarters in Mühlen in 2023. For numerous school students, Future Day 2023 was focused on the circular economy and recycling.
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Concrete example

Sustainability reporting

We published our first sustainability report in June 2023 in order to document our sustainable development transparently and make it comparable and visible to our stakeholders. It relates to the 2022 financial year and was published in accordance with the reporting standards set out in the German Sustainability Code (DNK).

Sustainability Report 2022 (PDF) DNK Report 2022

We work with the following sustainability platforms:

News on the topic of sustainability

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