The BPW Group’s environmental strategy is focused on sustainable, resource-conserving and energy-saving management at all stages of the value chain and throughout the entire product life cycle. By completely switching its electricity supply to renewable energies with a certificate of origin in 2017, BPW not only received a great deal of support in the region, but also made a strong statement, especially in the metal industry. The growing share of electricity generated by the company itself and the ongoing process of switching the fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles highlight the family business’s commitment to sustainability.
Environmental and energy policy principles
BPW Bergische Achsen KG is committed to...
... purchasing energy-efficient products and services with a view to continuously improving energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact while considering economic aspects; during both planning and implementation, the economic and social environment as well as the interested parties are to be taken into account.
... addressing environmental and energy management as an obligation and task of corporate management and continuously improving it.
… protecting the environment and using resources and energy carefully in all business activities.
… ascertaining and taking into account the potential risks and opportunities in respect of environmental protection, energy utilisation, energy consumption and energy efficiency, in compliance with the statutory provisions.
... operating and further developing a certified energy and environmental management system in accordance with internationally recognised standards.
... achieving the environmental and energy goals it has set itself.
Certified environment and energy management system
BPW’s environmental management system was certified in April 2018 in accordance with the comprehensive global standard DIN EN ISO 140001:2015. At the same time, the BPW energy management system was certified in accordance with the latest version of DIN EN ISO 50001:2011. By constantly investing in new state-of-the-art systems, the company is continuously improving its energy efficiency and will further improve its energy-related performance. BPW is also certified in accordance with IATF 16949, the highest quality standard in the automotive industry. All certifications set out stringent requirements for environment and energy management which BPW meets, and even exceeds, in many areas.
BPW – a company surrounded by nature
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At BPW’s headquarters, the company’s 120-year industrial history is immediately visible in its buildings – from historic timber-frame architecture (as seen, for example, on what is now the plant museum) and Gründerzeit-era brick buildings to the modern-day steel and glass aesthetic. However, the company doesn’t just take care of its industrial cultural heritage – the plant premises also includes lovingly preserved greens lying in the shade of trees, some of which are centuries old. The company management and employees alike are very attached to these trees, and when a 200-year-old copper beech had to be chopped down for road safety reasons in 2017, it was replaced with a 12-metre tall pin oak using a crane in a major replanting operation.
BPW has a tree registry comprising 1,100 trees on a total area of 7,420 square metres at three locations (Wiehl, Brüchermühle, Hunsheim). The entire green space, including flowerbeds and meadows, comprises 101,253 square metres. That amounts to 28% of the entire plant site.
The plant premises adjoin a wooded area of 189.6 hectares (1.896 million square metres) which is sustainably managed. BPW uses one hectare with particularly old trees for nature conservation. Following the example of a national park, these oaks are not cut down, as they are valuable biotopes for insects, birds, small animals, fungi, lichens and mosses.