Creating change together – this is the Sustainability Report 2022/2023 from CWS

– The service provider for health and safety CWS is setting ambitious climate goals: By 2030, CO2e emissions are to be reduced by at least half
– In 2023, the company launched its new decarbonization strategy
– The business units are developing innovative concepts to make their products more sustainable and environmentally friendly – in other words, future-proof

By 2030, CWS aims to reduce its CO2e footprint by at least half. To achieve this goal, CWS has developed a decarbonization strategy with a total of 19 initiatives that apply across all business areas. The strategy primarily focuses on optimizing energy use: unnecessary emissions should be avoided or minimized. Additionally, energy supply should be specifically switched to green energies, especially through solar power produced by CWS itself.

Reducing emissions is particularly dependent on the supply chain. A look at the figures shows the massive impact suppliers have on greenhouse gas emissions: 74% of greenhouse gases are generated outside of the company's own locations, especially in upstream value creation, i.e., in the direct procurement of materials and services. A key factor in achieving CWS's sustainability goals is therefore close collaboration with suppliers.

To identify where the emission hotspots in the supply chain are and thus where the greatest potential for reduction measures lies, CWS worked with the software company Normative for carbon accounting. This new approach enables the company to identify emission hotspots in supply chains and address them together with suppliers. "Our ambitious goals prove that we don't just want to talk about sustainability – we want to change something! Sustainability and circular economy have been the foundation of our business model for many years. Now, together with our partners, we want to demonstrate that we are also taking concrete steps toward decarbonization," says Luca Costa, Team Lead Corporate Sustainability.

CWS is future-proof

All of this is part of the overarching initiative Future-Proof of the Haniel Group, to which CWS belongs. The entire corporate group is convinced: sustainability is not just one task among many, but closely linked to economic success and corporate responsibility. For CWS, this means not only driving decarbonization of the company with full energy, but also offering all materials and products sustainably and environmentally friendly throughout their lifecycle. By 2025, CWS aims to generate more than 90% of its new business exclusively with sustainable products.

The four CWS business units – Hygiene, Workwear, Cleanrooms, and Fire Safety – work independently on concepts and measures for this purpose. In all areas, the principle is: all products are kept in the service cycle for as long as possible – in line with the company's motto Think Circular. The products are made from particularly durable and, if possible, recycled materials. Damaged products are professionally repaired within the CWS service model before being replaced. Subsequently, many products are given a second life through innovative upcycling projects – for example, as fashionable clothing by upcycling designer Daniel Kroh or as material for design concepts by the initiative Accelerating Circularity, which aims to transform the textile industry using circular models.

CWS business units work together

CWS Hygiene places a strong emphasis on modernizing its service fleet with electric vehicles and further optimizes routes to keep travel times short. For many years, CWS Hygiene has relied on a particularly sustainable hygiene product: the fabric towel roll. Additionally, the laundries are gradually switching to recycled soap bottles and water is being processed energy-efficiently.

The modernization of the fleet and the use of recycled materials also play a crucial role at CWS Workwear. In the production of workwear, environmentally friendly viscose and recycled polyester are used. Furthermore, CWS Workwear pays attention to sourcing raw materials from fair trade and works closely with the non-profit organization Fairtrade Germany for this purpose. With PROcircular, CWS Workwear has also developed a completely recycled T-shirt.

This also applies to CWS Cleanrooms' cleanroom clothing, which can be washed 60 to 80 times before disposal. Increasingly, the product range is being converted to environmentally and resource-conserving products, such as the MicroSicuro CR/A-R, a reusable mop cover made from 76% recycled polyester fibers. CWS Cleanrooms' laundries meet the latest energy and thermal standards, and the first fully climate-neutral laundry is planned for the future.

At CWS Fire Safety, the focus is primarily on foam extinguishing agents, alongside water consumption: extinguishing agents are 90% fluorine-free, preventing environmental impact from hard-to-degrade PFAS chemicals. With this, CWS Fire Safety has almost completely eliminated PFAS from its extinguishing agents even before any legal regulation. Additionally, in cooperation with the Danish company VID, increasingly modern water mist extinguishing systems are being used, which consume 60 to 80% less water than conventional sprinkler systems.

The CWS business units work closely together and exchange success stories. This creates synergies across the company and leads to cross-cutting projects. "The commitment of the four business units is fantastic. In every area, you can see that colleagues have internalized our sustainability goals and exciting ideas are emerging on how our products and processes can become even more sustainable. Our regular meetings are an important additional exchange that ensures everyone pulls in the same direction," says Leonie Biesen, Sustainability Manager at CWS.