Tomorrow begins today

– CWS contributes to a sustainable future with a circular business model
– Products remain in the cycle as long as possible in accordance with the principle Think Circular to conserve resources
– The company's goal: 90 percent of new business by 2025 with sustainable products and a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030

Circular economy is at the core of the CWS Group. As a leading expert in hygiene, mats, workwear, fire protection, cleanroom, as well as health and care, the company monitors its used materials and products throughout their entire lifecycle. CWS follows its own guiding principle Think Circular and is thus part of the overarching "Enkelfähig" (Grandchild-Ready) initiative of the Haniel Group. The foundation of this initiative is the conviction that sustainability and economic success are closely linked.

“As a service provider for health and safety, the CWS Group works on sustainable solutions for a safer and healthier future. For us, sustainability is a prerequisite for economic success. Because economic success today and in the future is closely connected with value-oriented and sustainable actions,” says Jürgen Höffling, CEO of the CWS Group. “It’s about balancing economics, ecology, and social responsibility. We see the principles of the circular economy embedded in our service model and want to leverage this strength to offer our customers sustainable products and services in every respect. Ultimately, "enkelfähig" is about excellent products and at the same time sustainable business practices.”

Sustainable products are the lever for a good future

At CWS, the entire product range is checked for sustainability through a multi-stage process and subjected to the so-called "enkelfähig" rating. In addition to the supply chain, raw materials, and recycling concepts, consideration is also given to how long a product or raw material can be kept in the cycle. The insights from the internal scoring are reflected and taken into account in new product lines such as the CWS PureLine for restrooms or in the professional clothing collection Scandic Line. Further projects and details about the rating are outlined in CWS’s report.

“We aim to achieve more than 90 percent of our new business with sustainable products by 2025. A long product lifespan is at the core of our business model. Therefore, we evaluate in advance how sustainable the products are that we incorporate into our cycles,” adds Jürgen Höffling.

Efficient cycles through durable materials

As part of its service model, CWS relies on particularly sustainable and durable products and materials to keep them in the service cycle as long as possible and thus save resources. Sustainability applies not only to the end product but also to supply chains. Accordingly, CWS carefully selects its partners and suppliers to ensure all sustainability criteria are met.

“Our entire understanding of sustainability is based on the circular thinking. That’s why we design our products to be durable, repairable, and ideally easy to recycle. In the long term, this allows us to optimize and close our material cycles wherever possible. In this way, we minimize the environmental and climate impact of our products throughout their entire lifecycle,” says Dr. Maren Otte, Group Director Corporate Communications & Corporate Responsibility.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Think Circular!

Products are professionally repaired wherever possible to maximize their lifespan. For example, in 2021, over 21,000 mats, over 26,000 towel roll dispensers, and over 5 million pieces of clothing were repaired by CWS. This clearly demonstrates how many products can remain in use longer through such measures.

Sustainable materials and recycling concepts play a key role in CWS’s cycles. For example, CWS’s GreenMats are made from recycled polyester and dry up to 25 percent faster, which reduces energy consumption. Currently, CWS is working on making flooring materials recyclable as part of a European research project called Circular Sustainable Flooring (CISUFLO).

Decarbonization is an important future topic

Reducing CO2 emissions also plays a major role for CWS. In this year’s report, CWS presents its complete Corporate Carbon Footprint for the first time, providing full transparency about emissions generated within its own operations and the upstream supply chain (Scopes 1-3). Based on these insights, CWS is now developing a comprehensive climate strategy. The goal is to reduce the current carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030. Additionally, a climate management system is being developed to dynamically incorporate the best measures into ongoing processes and respond to current regulatory changes.