“After a very intensive process, we’ve determined the carbon footprint of the Eislingen site and all other subsidiaries at the site. Thanks to various energy-saving projects, we’ve already been able to significantly minimise our CO2 values,” explains graduate engineer Gülen Ak, who as Head of Quality, Environmental and Energy Management is also responsible for sustainability and climate neutrality.

Zeller+Gmelin, which specialises in lubricants, printing inks and chemicals, has been officially “climate neutral” since January 2020. This includes its entire office, production and storage facilities, as well as all 549 employees at the Eislingen headquarters, plus the Südöl companies Mineralöl Raffinerie and Südöl-Umwelt-Recycling, and ZG Fluidmanagement. The remaining C02 values were offset by climate certificates, with Zeller+Gmelin supporting sustainable climate protection projects in developing and emerging countries.

“We have always been careful to use resources sparingly in all business areas,” emphasises Thomas Alpers, Managing Director for Technology at Zeller+Gmelin. In addition, the company has always focused on people and the environment, with numerous new environmentally friendly bio-lubricant products such as concrete release agents, chainsaw oils and lawnmower oils. “So it was a logical next step to extend this environmental awareness to climate neutrality.”

2019 at Zeller+Gmelin was all about climate protection and climate neutrality. Numerous energy saving projects were implemented; whether it’s the use of photovoltaic systems, more energy-efficient transformers or targeted heat recovery, we looked closely at practically every area where savings could still be achieved. As a result, Zeller+Gmelin was certified according to energy management standard DIN EN ISO 50001:2018. “We have incorporated the standard into our existing integrated quality and environmental management system,” explains Gülen Ak.

By determining its annual carbon footprint, the lubricant expert undertakes not only to comply with climate targets but also to improve them sustainably. For example, consideration is being given to purchasing more green electricity in the future. “We go into great detail in our climate considerations. Even in new buildings such as our new laboratory rooms for quality assurance we consider the environmental impact and will use solar systems for elevator operation,” explains Thomas Alpers. Even this is nothing new for Zeller+Gmelin, which already has a solar-powered passenger lift in use that even feeds electricity back into the power grid during descent.

And its carbon footprint is improving. At present, CO2 emissions at the Eislingen site amount to 4,763t/a. “That’s about 8.68 tonnes per employee, which means that we are very well placed,” says Gülen Ak.

As the 500th company to successfully complete the KEFF check, Zeller+Gmelin received an award from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of the Environment. The official award ceremony took place on 4 February at a ceremony attended by a representative of the Ministry of the Environment, the Baden-Wuerttemberg State Agency for Environmental Technology and Resource Efficiency, the President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Baden-Wuerttemberg and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Goeppingen.

Zeller+Gmelin GmbH+Co. KG
wire 2020, hall 9 booth A 19
Schlossstrasse 20, 73054 Eislingen/Germany
Contact person is Andreas Rascher
Tel.: +49 7161 802-0
info@zeller-gmelin.de
www.zeller-gmelin.de

About Zeller+Gmelin
Zeller+Gmelin GmbH+Co. KG, founded in 1866, employs over 900 people worldwide, almost half of whom work at the company’s headquarters in Eislingen. With its 16 subsidiaries, the medium-sized company operates worldwide. Its product portfolio is divided into the business areas lubricants, industrial chemicals and printing inks. Its high-quality products occupy a leading position on the international market. Zeller+Gmelin offers individual and integrated solutions from a single source, from research and development to production. As many as 20 per cent of its employees in Eislingen work in the area of R&D in order to permanently develop and optimise innovative products that meet the demands of markets and customers.