Sustainability: Kistler takes stock

Kistler has made great strides toward achieving CO₂-neutral production sites in Germany: since 2023, all the Group’s German sites have been obtaining electricity from renewable sources, and two production sites are operating photovoltaic systems – at the Straubenhardt location, these already cover 40 percent of the electricity demand. E-mobility is also a key cornerstone of the overall strategy: today, 50 percent of pool and service vehicles in Germany are electrically powered, while the figure at Kistler’s headquarters in Winterthur is around 30 percent. Alongside these measures, Kistler is promoting the energy transition by obtaining green electricity certificates – not only in Germany, China, and Japan but also in Switzerland, Slovakia, and the USA.

“Sustainable action continues to be our responsibility – and that’s why there have been no changes to our goals,” according to Marc Schaad, CEO of the Kistler Group. “Nevertheless, we realize that we are not progressing quite as quickly as we had originally intended in an economic situation that remains persistently challenging.” This is because extensive investments are necessary for the energy-saving measures required to meet the defined climate targets on a permanent basis. To take a few examples, these include pilot projects related to the circular economy, ongoing expansion of the electric pool and service vehicle fleet, further development of photovoltaic systems, and the global switch to green electricity.

The goal of net CO₂-neutral production in Germany is to be achieved by 2030, as is the reduction of Group-wide emissions by 50 percent compared to the base year of 2021. The entire Group is set to achieve alignment with the goal of net CO₂ neutrality by 2035. These targets relate to Scopes 1 and 2 as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). Kistler also continues to be active in Scope 3, which relates to indirect emissions across the entire value chain. Since as long ago as 2022, the company has been collecting data on emissions from purchased goods and services, energy consumption during product use, commuting behavior and logistics, as well as waste and water consumption. To complement these measures, Kistler also runs training programs for its employees.

Franziska Kunz, Head of Global ESG and Sustainability, sums up: “We’ve already achieved a lot by adjusting the key levers. It will be harder to implement further reductions. Even so, I’m confident that we will achieve our goals. Thanks to our cross-functional team, we’re able to consider the supply chain, purchasing, and product development in their entirety so we can initiate long-term, effective changes.”