ACTIVE SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT

Under the title “Go Neutral 2035”, the POLYTEC GROUP is ­pursuing a stringent and measureable decarbonisation path.
It is an integral part of the corporate strategy, which covers environmental sustainability targets as well as social and ­governance aspects.

The plastics that POLYTEC works with are made from fossil resources. Their processing requires considerable amounts of resources and energy. For cost reasons alone, POLYTEC has made a point of using them carefully for many years. In addition, the awareness of the responsibility that POLYTEC has for maintaining a world worth living in for future generations is deeply rooted within the company. This fundamental approach is reflected in energy-efficient production technologies and processes, equipment, buildings and technical facilities of the group.

Viewed from a different perspective, plastic also holds great potential in terms of sustainability. Produced and used responsibly, it has clear advantages compared to other materials. It is versatile in application, light, durable and reusable. In vehicles, for example, components made by POLYTEC reduce the weight of the vehicle and consequently provide for lower energy consumption in operation. When it comes to recycling, POLYTEC demonstrates how the material of discarded logistics boxes and be reused efficiently at its location in Ebensee.

Aspects of sustainability have long also become central sales arguments in market development activities. More and more frequently, sustainability ­criteria and data play a key role when contracts are awarded. Not least because of that, forward-looking, environmentally conscious and prudent actions along the entire value chain are a fundamental part of POLYTEC’s self-image as a future-oriented company. With its Code of Conduct, ­POLYTEC requires from its suppliers the same high standards for human and environmental rights and for ensuring fair competition that the company also sets for itself.

Since 2022, the POLYTEC GROUP’s sustainability strategy has been a central part of the overarching corporate strategy and all processes and systems in the company. Its eight strategy fields address POLYTEC’s main fields of action in terms of sustainability at all ESG levels (environmental, social and governance). Moreover, the POLYTEC GROUP has defined indicators and targets for all eight strategy fields. The Corporate Sustainability department is responsible for implementing measures and reporting on achieved targets and KPIs (key performance indicators). A conscious effort was also made to integrate sustainability into the engineering activities of the ­POLYTEC GROUP to ensure that the company’s sustainability targets are already taken into account to a significant extent in development projects.

POLYTEC has defined achieving carbon neutrality in production by 2035 as one of the key overarching goals, and is concentrating on the three focus fields People, Energy and Production. In the focus fields Energy and Production, the group identified the main lever on the way to carbon neutrality, while the focus field People is particularly important insofar as skilled workers with the right mindset, know-how and commitment are indispensable for the implementation of the necessary measures. Specific milestones have to be passed along a decarbonisation path in the coming years until carbon neutrality is reached. However, intact supply chains and geopolitical stability are fundamental requirements to achieve this goal. If and to what extent such external factors can impact the POLYTEC GROUP’s ambitious goals cannot be assessed at present.

In the 2023 financial year, the group’s CO₂ emissions rose slightly. On the one hand, this increase is attributable to the improved order situation. Above all, however, a change in the energy mix at the British plants contributed to an increase in emissions. However, effective energy measures helped to significantly mitigate the increase.