Rehau, an international player specialising in polymer processing, continues the voluntary sharing of sustainable activities that began in 2011 with the publication of its ninth Sustainability Report. The document, which provides a detailed overview of the initiatives, achievements and future goals of Rehau Industries, active globally with its Building Solutions, Interior Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Window Solutions divisions, represents the first step towards reporting in compliance with the new sustainability regulations.
After having set up the previous report according to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, for the reporting activity referring to the year 2023 the company has in fact made structural changes and defined new processes to collect reliable data in view of a reporting that, starting from the next financial year, will be aligned with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Advancing the circular economy
For a company with manufacturing operations such as Rehau, the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy has always been a relevant topic: this is confirmed by the data reported in the document regarding the continuation of post-industrial waste recovery activities, common to all divisions and aimed at recycling and reusing materials, and the introduction of product-related pilot projects on the market. Thanks to this concrete approach, Rehau Industries has thus significantly exceeded the targets set for 2025 related to the use of recycled materials in all products, and the previous target of 15%, related to production within the Emea region, has thus been raised to 20%, worldwide, by 2025.
Leveraging additional potential
Although the Sustainability Report 2023 still shows significant differences in terms of emission reductions between individual production plants, particularly outside the Emea region, Rehau Industries’ goal remains to achieve zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions – i.e. zero tonnes of CO2 – by 2035 at the latest. In this area, the company has already made remarkable strides: currently, it covers 65 per cent of its plants’ electricity consumption with renewable energy sources, registering a 53 per cent reduction in emissions in 2023 compared to the reference year, 2018.
