The reports on our sustainability activities are based on the topics Environment, Social and Governance.
With our Sustainability Initiative, we are demonstrating that German small and medium-sized companies are taking the utmost care in meeting the aspects of sustainability and living up to their environmental and social responsibilities.
A sustainable orientation of our activities is one of the key tasks of the Coroplast Group in order to remain successful in the future. That is why we rely on a carefully thought-out strategy. Because we not only want to deal with topics correctly, we also want to deal with the correct topics.
Therefore we have developed a materiality analysis in which we assess our need for action in eight of the most important topics. The assessment considers both our internal view and external stakeholder perspectives, such as those of our partners, employees or customers.
The topics and projects are coordinated by the CSI Board, on which employees from all business units and departments are represented. The board regularly exchanges views and jointly prepares all landmark decisions that are submitted to the management board.
Currently, these four topics have priority for us:
In the area of environment and energy, it is particularly clear how closely economic and ecological sustainability belong together. That is why these areas play a central role for us as a manufacturing company.
We have set ourselves ambitious goals and have already made good progress in recent years. For example, we have almost halved our carbon footprint at the Wuppertal site in Germany by purchasing green electricity. However, we want above all to reduce rather than compensate: To achieve this, we will have to leave the well-traveled path and head out into uncharted technological territory. At the same time, we are constantly working on optimizing our data situation. After all, precise data collection and analysis form the basis for our decisions on the way to climate neutrality at our German sites.
At our German sites, we use natural resources mainly in the form of raw materials or materials for product manufacture and for energy generation. Thus, our processes pollute the atmosphere through directly and indirectly generated greenhouse gases, predominantly non-hazardous waste, which we recycle almost completely, and sanitary and, to a lesser extent, manufacturing wastewater.
Against this background, we develop innovative products and processes. Solutions that help our customers and us save energy, avoid waste, recycle – and advance sustainable technologies.
Here are some examples of our activities:
Adhesive tapes from Coroplast Tape as a protection and bundling system for cable harnesses in vehicles, on robots, etc. save material, transport volume, installation space and weight. In this way, we help our customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Coroflex high-voltage cables set standards: Optimized conductor designs, alternative conductor materials and the use of high-quality insulating materials reduce the installation space and weight of e-vehicles.
Plug & Play: The newly developed WeWire charging cables for electric cars are particularly user-friendly, can be customized in a variety of ways, and are ready for use at wallboxes or charging stations.
As part of our CoroUpycling initiative, we experiment with recycling product waste or surplus material. This results in high-quality utility items such as courier backpacks or laptop bags.
As a foundation member of Circular Valley, we drive the circular economy forward. The regional network brings together corporations, companies and science with resourceful start-ups from all over the world.
For a long time, sustainability usually meant “something about the environment”, but today the topic is much broader. This suits us very well, because as a responsible family business we have always thought and acted in terms of generations.
The Coroplast Group is a highly attractive employer for all of our applicants and employees around the world. This is because we are a family-owned company with flat hierarchies and fast decision-making processes, which lives and breathes mutual appreciation, equal opportunities and participation. To keep it that way, we have developed our HR Strategy 2030 based on HR megatrends and internal needs.
We are concentrating on four focus areas:
The Coroplast Group promotes the vitality and well-being of its employees. With numerous offers and activities, we ensure that they can carry out their work healthily and without complaints. We also offer assistance in coping with work-related or private stresses. We are regularly awarded the "Healthy Workforce" seal for our occupational health management (WHM) and the wide range of employee offerings.
And we not only take responsibility for our employees, but also for the region. We are rooted in Wuppertal and the Bergisches Land region as a company and would like to share our success and thus give something back.
We supply the leading manufacturers of e-vehicles and also promote electromobility beyond this. For example, e-bikes and a large charging park are available to employees in Wuppertal, Germany.
It is important to us to manage the Coroplast Group as leanly and, above all, effectively as possible. For a company with 7,600 employees on four continents, this means a whole range of measures and tools with which we can successfully pursue our goals or take timely countermeasures if necessary.
In the financial area, these include business management reporting or the management and control of taxes. Other tools are used in the HR department or in the production areas of all business units - for example, our quality management systems or the energy and environmental audits at our sites.
As a company in the automotive sector, we have numerous certified management systems.
The Coroplast Group thrives on the trust of its customers, partners, employees and the public. Trust, fairness and reliability are key foundations for our success. That is why we have been relying on a globally valid compliance management system with our Code of Conduct since 2018.
„The “G” in ESG stands, in a broad sense, for good management, or corporate governance. This includes stringent, and preferably digital processes, secure IT systems but also practical rules of behavior.
The Coroplast Group maintains trusting, fair and sustainable business relationships with customers, suppliers, service providers and business partners. Integrity and responsible action on the part of every employee is a matter of course for us and is formulated in our Code of Conduct. For a partnership-based cooperation with our suppliers, our purchasing department regularly reviews potential risks on the basis of the Supply Chain Act and other legal standards.
For us, digitization is much more than using computers, programs or data. We want to optimize business processes or introduce new forms of collaboration - always with the aim of conserving resources and developing sustainable business models.
Innovative approaches are the key to entrepreneurial success. But technical change is happening ever faster, and product life cycles are becoming shorter. This requires well thought-out innovation management.
Coroplast Group reports on sustainability strategy and ESG activities as part of the annually published sustainability report (CSI Report).
Here you can download our Code of Conduct and our Conflict Minerals Policy.