DR.SCHNELL is committed to the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal. These agreements have set the goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius and making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
As a modern chemical company, we want to contribute to a clean and circular economy with sustainably designed products and a transparent approach to our ecological footprint.
Only with complete transparency and an open approach to these issues can we achieve improvement. We act out of genuine conviction to enable every participant in our industry to operate sustainably.
No new product should be launched on the market without a Type I ecolabel if there is a category for it
New DR.SCHNELL products must meet high environmental standards throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction and production to distribution and disposal. Type I eco-labels such as the Blue Angel, the EU Ecolabel, the Austrian or Nordic Ecolabel confirm the outstanding environmental performance of our products, combined with excellent cleaning performance.
Improving our recycled content ratio and thus our CO₂ balance every year
The recycling process recovers valuable raw materials and reduces the impact on the climate. Packaging with a high proportion of recycled plastic reduces the need for new plastic, the production of which generates significantly higher CO₂ emissions. New plastic requires petroleum for its production. Increasing the use of recycled material, which comes from European household collection PCR (post-consumer recycled material from the yellow bag/yellow bin), reduces petroleum consumption and conserves resources.
The use of sustainable renewable raw materials
We want to replace fossil raw materials and energy sources in production with sustainable renewable ones. When improving formulations, our product developers pay attention to the Renewable Carbon Index (RCI) and are gradually increasing the proportion of renewable raw materials in our products, provided this does not conflict with the goal of reducing CO2*. At our production site in Munich, we use renewable energies and electricity we generate ourselves.
Making even greater use of digital solutions for training, dosing, and control
Online training courses and seminars, our CAMPUS learning management system, and remote access by our technicians to smart dosing systems for washing machines and dishwashers are making DR.SCHNELL service even more digital. This not only has a positive effect on our customers, but also on the environment, as it reduces service trips and thus traffic emissions.
We publish our environmental goals in our Environmental Statement.
Reducing emissions is not a short-term project, but rather the result of continuous, long-term efforts across all areas of the company. Every day, products and processes are rigorously examined from a sustainability perspective and opportunities for improvement are sought.
We are reducing emissions with these measures:
Since 2022, our Strong 3 products have been delivered in packaging made from 30% recycled plastic. This allows us to keep our environmental promise and save up to 18% CO₂* per package.
Whether it's energy supply, vehicle fleet, or wastewater, we are constantly working at our sites to reduce our company-related CO₂ emissions through savings opportunities. We offset unavoidable emissions through selected, independently verified climate protection projects. Further details on the basis for assessment, calculation standards, excluded emissions, emission reduction measures, type of offsetting, and specific offsetting projects can be found on the following page:
We pay close attention to sustainability when developing our products. We only implement products with an improved CO₂ footprint. Like ECOLUTION. CO₂ reduced and with up to 98% less packaging waste.
With our extensive database and ISO 14067-certified calculation method, customers can transparently calculate the CO₂ footprint of their cleaning products, reduce it with our support, and voluntarily offset it.
We view environmental protection as a holistic task and strive to work as sustainably as possible in every area of our processes.
Raw materials
Our suppliers are bound by our Code of Conduct to comply with environmental protection requirements. In addition, we pay close attention to how and, above all, where we source our raw materials in order to avoid emissions right from the moment of delivery. The proportion of sustainably renewable raw materials used in our branded products is increasing every year.
Production
Our environmental protection efforts at our Munich production site have been certified by the EU EMAS seal of approval since 1998. We publish our measures to reduce our CO2* emissions and our company-related compensation measures in our annual environmental statement and on the following pages.
Calculation basis
Packaging
As part of our packaging initiative, we want to continuously optimize our product packaging in line with environmental considerations. For years, the proportion of recycled and color-neutral packaging in our product range has been increasing, which in turn has a high recycling value. Refill packs and canisters reduce waste volume. With ECOLUTION sticks, we offer a residue-free product system of self-dissolving granulate sticks in compostable envelopes.
Disposal
Disposal at the site is included in our environmental management assessment. We have installed a neutralization plant to neutralize production wastewater. We also work in cooperation with a certified waste disposal company and take care during production to avoid producing any waste that would otherwise have to be disposed of in an environmentally harmful manner.
European Green Deal
Goal: A carbon-neutral EU by 2050
The European Green Deal is a continental effort aimed at achieving the transition to a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy that will be net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. By 2030, CO2* emissions across Europe are to be reduced by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels.
Paris Climate Agreement
Target: max. 2 degrees global warming, preferably only 1.5 degrees
The successor to the Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that came into force in 2016 with the aim of protecting the climate. The goal is to limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius, but preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels in order to prevent the triggering of tipping points in the Earth's climate system and potentially irreversible consequences.
*CO2 values determined using ISO 14067-certified calculation method