Sustainability, from global to local The commitment of Festo towards sustainability is also mirrored in local companies, like at Festo Didactic Ltd, located in the Canadian province of Québec. In 2022 Festo Didactic Ltd was awarded the ECORESPONSIBLETM - Level 2. Performance certification that acknowledges its efforts to minimize impact on the environment and implement sustainable practices throughout its operations. Festo Didactic Ltd designs and manufactures several learning solutions, particularly in the areas of electrical engineering, process automation, and industrial trades. The company is committed to operating its facilities (plant and administrative offices) in an environmentally responsible manner. The certification process began in 2020, when Festo Didactic Ltd embarked on a structured, step-by-step approach to integrate sustainability into its organizational culture by involving all internal and external stakeholders. A sustainable development strategy, an action plan operationalization system, and a reporting process were developed. The approach is based on internationally recognized standards for corporate social responsibility and sustainable development management, such as ISO 26000, the BNQ 21000 guide and the Global Reporting Initiative's guidelines for reporting. The company’s initiative aligns with the 16 principles of the Quebec Sustainable Development Act and the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. The company also adopted a Sustainable Development Charter that guides its daily actions. Innovative solutions were evaluated and implemented to reduce its environmental footprint, ensure the well-being of its employees and increase the resilience of its value chain. Future developments include the implementation of an ISO 140001 certified environmental management system, a skills development plan, and an energy optimization project to continuously reduce environmental impact and improve sustainable practices. In 2022, our packaging concept was continuously further developed and optimised. The following improvements were achieved, amongst others: At the Rohrbach plant, the bag size for fittings on the existing packaging installation was reduced from a size of 150 × 120 millimetres to a size of 150 × 90 millimetres. This saves around 4.5 tonnes of polyethylene per year. In our largest distribution centre, air cushion film has been replaced by paper cushioning. This change reduces annual plastic consumption by around 7 tonnes. Festo strives to achieve the highest possible proportion of packaging made from renewable materials such as wood, paper, cardboard and corrugated cardboard. In 2022, our largest distribution centre accounted for over 97 per cent of the weight of all packaging materials. In addition, we aim to limit the proportion of packaging in our shipping volume. This amounted to a good 23 per cent – also for Germany – in 2022. The values are also on the same level internationally. GRI 301-1 Wherever possible, we try to find sustainable packaging solutions. Individual cases of customer complaints are usually due to an automated packaging installation with limited standard sizes. Internally, one of our goals is to reuse the packaging we receive. We can measure this percentage in our plants in China – the reuse rate there is more than 80 per cent. Packaging is necessary to protect high-value products during their storage and transport. Finding the balance between sufficient protection, limiting packaging costs and the environmental compatibility of the packaging concept is a complex task. 5.2 Packaging Awarded Level 2. ECORESPONSIBLETM performance certification: Festo Didactic Ltd in the Canadian province of Quebec. 74 75 Festo SE & Co. KG Sustainability Report 2022 Festo SE & Co. KG Sustainability Report 2022 1. BLUE WORLD 2. STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT 3. CO2 REDUCTION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY 4. TECHNICAL EDUCATION 5. ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCE AND MATERIAL EFFICIENCY 6. PEOPLE AT FESTO 7. ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE 8. GRI-INDEX 9. REPORT PROFILE
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