Sustainability

What we have achieved so far

REDUCTION AND AVOIDANCE OF EMISSION

In 2022, we were able to reduce the gas consumption of our ovens by 3% per kg of product sold and thus reduce CO₂ emissions
What we have achieved so far

Saving on packaging material

Elimination of folding cartons in product packaging: savings of 70,000 kg of paper per year
What we have achieved so far

Switch to sustainable packaging

We have already converted 12 products to recyclable packaging. These bear the Interseroh "Made for Recycling" logo.
What we have achieved so far

Savings in secondary packaging

Reduction in the proportion of fresh fibres in our outer packaging: Savings of 40,861 kg of fresh fibres per year

selected goals of our sustainability strategy

Ecology/Environment

Economy

Community issues/society

News

We hold our SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATE in our hands

The production of Schnitzer GmbH in Offenburg has been certified according to the ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management since 2 August 2023. What exactly this means and how we got there can be found here. To our certificate

Our path to sustainability certification

Certified organic quality has been a matter of course for Schnitzer since 1992, when European organic legislation was introduced.

Organic raw materials have been at the centre of the company's activities since it was founded.

This is also the case with the current topic of our time. Long before the topic of sustainability was discussed in public, we were already acting accordingly as a family business.

The careful use of resources, partnership-based cooperation with suppliers and customers, the creation of a family-friendly working environment and regional commitment are particularly important to us.

Certification process

ZNU Standard Driving Sustainable Change

In 2021, we launched a certification process to systematically record aspects of sustainability. We work with the ZNU Standard Driving Sustainable Change.

This means consistently and continuously describing and measuring all company activities from the perspective of sustainability and improving them in terms of sustainability.

The ZNU standard makes it possible to make a demonstrable contribution to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

Our contribution to the SDGs

The three fields of action

Within the framework of these standards, the organisation of sustainable corporate management is recorded and concrete implementations in the three fields of action

- ecology/environment

- society

- economy

are defined, systematically reviewed and integrated into a company-specific sustainability strategy..

For the environment/ecology

Reduction of packaging materials

Gluten-free food must be 100% safely packaged and durable, but should still cause as little packaging waste as possible.

Our motto is: as little as possible and as much as necessary! We are therefore currently working hard to minimise packaging materials.

We have already achieved this: In 2020, we started switching our gluten-free food from a combination of folding cartons and film to one-piece packaging. Dies wurde in den Folgejahren konsequent fortgeführt. In future, the folding carton will be completely eliminated, saving 70,000 kg of cardboard per year.

Additional focus: Saving on secondary packaging

We have also already achieved a lot in terms of sustainability in our outer packaging. In future, we will save 40,861 kg of fresh fibres per year.

We are currently testing the switch to outer cartons made from 100% recycled material so that no more fresh fibres will be used in the near future.

Recyclable packaging since 2023

We have already converted 13 products to recyclable packaging: three types of organic muffins, organic brownie chocolate, organic pizza base, three types of organic grissini and the five organic slices. These bear the Interseroh "Made for Recycling" logo.

But what does recyclable mean? If the empty packaging is disposed of in the yellow bag after the products have been consumed, the packaging can be recognised in sorting plants and then processed into new plastic by recyclers.

Next goal: Our packaging film, which we need due to the gluten-free nature and shelf life of the products, is to receive the "easily recyclable" certificate for more and more products. By 2030, we want to increase the proportion of Schnitzer products sold to 50%.

REDUCTION and avoidance of emissions as a central component of climate protection

As part of our sustainability strategy, we are focussing on increasing energy efficiency. One of the main points here is the gas consumption of our ovens.

We have already achieved this: energy consumption is systematically recorded and documented as gas consumption in kWh/kg of product sold. As early as 2022, we were able to reduce the gas consumption of our ovens by 3% per kg of product sold thanks to process optimisations.

Next goals: The measures taken will be further intensified so that we aim to reduce gas consumption by a further 5% this year. We are looking ahead to 2027 with an overall reduction target of 13%.

FOR the economy/economy

Production in Offenburg

We are a medium-sized company with our own gluten-free food production facilities in Offenburg. In doing so, we contribute to strengthening our region, creating and securing jobs here.

Our production has been certified in accordance with the International Food Standard (IFS) since 2016.

Next goal: We have documented the complaint rate as a measurable target of max. 0.005% by 2024.

Procurement of raw materials

We have already achieved this: as part of our sustainability strategy, we have drawn up a code of conduct. For the procurement of our organic raw materials for the production of gluten-free food, we work with suppliers who have signed this code. This documents that we do not tolerate any human rights violations or child labour and that we take responsibility for the cultivation of the raw materials required.

Next goal: We will extend the Code of Conduct to other suppliers.

However, initiatives relating to individual raw materials are also important to us:

- Organic palm oil: we only use organic palm oil from RSPO certification (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil - launched by WWF in 2011).

- Organic eggs: The organic eggs we use come from a regional supplier who has joined the Chicken & Rooster Initiative. Male chicks are also reared here.

For the community/social issues

Our employees are essential to our success. Involvement in decision-making processes is a matter of course. All Schnitzer Produktion employees receive an annual internal health budget for their personal use. What is used can be organised individually.

In addition to company-related activities, we are involved in the social project Team4Winners e.V. in our region. By funding trainers, a sports programme is created that contributes to the integration of schoolchildren aged 6 to 18 from all social backgrounds and children and young people with a migration background.

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE 17 SUSTAINABILITY GOALS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has defined 17 goals for sustainable development. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be achieved globally and by all UN member states by 2030. The SDGs most relevant to us are shown below and our contribution to them is explained.

Learn more

We love our products just the way they are!

Both our product photos and the photos for advertisements, social media and trade fair material are taken just under 2 km from our location in Offenburg by Maria Panzer (food photographer specialising in sustainable, fair food brands). Authentic and honest photography is part of our company philosophy.