Shaping the Future Sustainably

Planol is committed to sustainability. Alongside social engagement, mindful resource management is central to all our business operations. This encompasses not only a resource-efficient production process and the manufacture of environmentally friendly cleaning products but also efficient energy use and optimal design of workflows and work processes. Our understanding of sustainability is concretely reflected in these six points:
 

As a manufacturer of cleaning products, we are particularly aware of our ecological responsibility. For years, we have been committed to sustainable business practices. A significant indication of this is our certification: since 2016, Planol has held the ‘Certified Sustainability’ seal from the private German Institute for Sustainability and Economics. This certification process successfully assessed our product, service, and consulting quality, economic future orientation, company management, and our ecological and social responsibility on the basis of sustainability criteria.

Various measures to optimise energy use at our Hanau plant in Hessen have contributed to this.  Throughout the company, we rely on LED lighting, which is mostly demand-controlled. Planol also has its own photovoltaic system with 748 modules, producing a total output of 254 kWp. In early 2023, we completed a comprehensive modernisation of our main power supply.

In addition to our ecological responsibility, we are also aware of our societal responsibility. Social engagement plays a crucial role for us. In partnership with Plan International Deutschland e.V., we sponsor a child from Laos. We also support educational, hygiene, sanitation, and clean water projects in the region.

All our production takes place in efficient mixing tanks that contribute significantly to energy savings. Only in special cases are the mixing tanks additionally heated, ensuring a conscious use of our energy resources. Through innovative technology and special formulations, we manage to avoid additional energy input in over 95 percent of our production.

Efficient flow conditions in our batch reactors and formulations tailored to our production processes ensure a swift reaction and mixing of the added components without additional heat energy, minimising electricity consumption. For the production of highly viscous products, formulations have been modified and developed to reduce production time while maintaining product properties, ensuring a sparing and efficient use of energy.

This approach is supported by the new compressor system, operational since July 2022, which was subsidised by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) due to its energy savings and highly efficient cross-sectional technology. This modern system saves nearly 56,000 kWh of energy per year.

In 2021, we also commissioned a fully automated multifunctional filling system for containers ranging from 500 ml to 10,000 ml. This system stands out for its high-quality standardisation, performance (volume/speed), and modularly controllable component selection of different closure types.

Another aspect to consider in production is waste management. For the daily required cleaning of the filling lines, we regularly use cleaning cloths. Since summer 2022, Planol has implemented a swap system, replacing disposable cloths with a comprehensive reusable system.

To dispose of packaging waste, operational oils, old raw materials, or rinsing water, we rely on professional partner companies. However, Planol’s production processes are fundamentally designed to generate as little waste and rinsing water as possible.

When it comes to our primary and secondary packaging, we adhere to high sustainability standards. Since 2009, we have participated in the Dual System for the recycling of sales packaging and have been awarded the ‘Green Dot’ environmental certificate. All Planol bottles and canisters can be recycled as secondary raw materials through this system, reducing the use of primary raw materials such as petroleum and lowering CO2 emissions. This helps prevent the formation of greenhouse gases and contributes to climate protection.

Our product modifications ensure that our standard primary packaging is highly recyclable, as officially confirmed by the packaging laboratory Eko-Punkt. We also prioritise environmental friendliness and sustainable raw materials for our cartons, using only cartons certified with the FSC Mix label. FSC stands for ‘Forest Stewardship Council,’ a non-governmental organisation aiming to guarantee sustainable forestry.

What does this certification mean? At least 70% of the materials for our cartons come from FSC-certified forests or recycled materials. The forestry companies in these forests strive to protect biodiversity, existing water resources, and soils. They also comply with applicable labour and land use rights.

In addition, they consider specific national requirements. At minimum, the remaining processed materials come from controlled sources – so-called Controlled Woods. In these sources, no illegal logging or overexploitation occurs, promoting socially and environmentally responsible forest management.

To guarantee our delivery reliability, we have been producing based on stock levels since 2016. We also increase our stocks of raw materials and packaging materials in times of crisis, ensuring that we can meet agreed delivery dates even in critical material situations.

We consciously avoid using our own vehicle fleet for the transport of our products. At the same time, we ensure that our logistics partner operates a modern, energy-sensitive site and uses only low-emission Euro-6 vehicles.