Friday, 29 March 2024
EnvironmentFeaturedNews

Schwalbe joins ranks publishing CSR report with targets

Schwalbe parent Ralf Bohle GmbH has for the first time compiled and published a CSR report, in the process putting down ambitious near-term targets for the company.

Defining four strategic areas of action in which these are to be achieved: Products, Company, Supply Chain and Social, a selection of the goals are as follows:

  • In 2023: To introduce the first mass-produced tire made with RCB obtained from tire recycling (product).
  • By 2026 Schwalbe plans to recycle 14 million tires and 15 million inner tubes (product)
  • All unavoidable aviation emissions to be offset from 2022 onwards by financing certified international development and climate protection projects in the countries of production (company)
  • To use 100% renewable energy at the company’s headquarters in Germany from 2025 (company)
  • To launch the supply chain transparency project, Schwalbe joins the Responsible Sports Initiative (RSI) as a member in 2022 (supply chain)
  • A key goal in the supply chain area is to expand the Fair Rubber program. The number of members is to be increased by over 700% by 2023.
  • In the social area, Schwalbe plans to establish its own Children’s Advisory Council in 2022 as part of a joint project with Children e.V.

schwalbe frank bohleCEO Frank Bohle (pictured) offered on the report: “Anyone who offers products for climate-friendly mobility should act sustainably themselves. That is what we demand of our corporate responsibility. We pursue the goal of achieving our business objectives with less resource consumption and environmental impact. To achieve this, we want to inspire and involve as many partners as possible. Our vision is to create lasting economic, environmental and social value.”

The family-owned business has documented 2021 too, all to the framework of the Sustainability Reporting Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI Standards). These internationally recognized guidelines enable standardization and comparability of all sustainability topics between different companies, even outside the bicycle industry.

Included in the summary is detail on the success of the Schwalbe Recycling System. After successfully operating a tube recycling program for the past seven years, used tyres are now also recycled and used for new Schwalbe product beginning summer 2022. This remains a unique programme, though is currently exclusive to Germany, though the inner tube element has now reached the UK.

The process cuts CO2 emissions by around 80 percent compared with the previous method of incineration. Currently, the Schwalbe Recycling System already has around 950 participants from the specialist trade, and the number is growing daily.

Felix Jahn, CSR Manager: “We are reaching a milestone with the publication of the first CSR report because we are transparently disclosing, in accordance with GRI standards, where we currently stand at Schwalbe and where we want to go. Our corporate responsibility not only relates to our own products or our social commitment, but also to the upstream and downstream supply chain. We want to make a real positive contribution and are not satisfied with reducing negative impacts. Our goals are ambitious, but our tire recycling exemplifies that we can overcome difficult hurdles as a team.”

In 2021, for the first time Schwalbe carried out its own climate balance for the company headquarters in Germany. The outcome of this analysis showed a total emissions of 1,351.84 tons of CO2e. Compared to the base year 2018, this resulted in a reduction of over 1,100 tons of CO2. Savings in the areas of materials, mobility and energy made a very significant contribution to this success. The company aims to build on this in the coming years and reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 2018.

Fair Rubber

A collaboration with Fair Rubber live since 2019 actively works to support the improvement of living and working conditions for rubber tappers. Although 70% of the natural rubber traded worldwide is used in the tyre industry, Schwalbe says that it is so far the first and only tyre manufacturer to be a member and to address the issue holistically.