Sustainability at Kesseböhmer - our approach

As a family-led company, we think in the long term and consider future generations. Our basic understanding is based on the role of a responsible employer and reputable business partner. This also involves operating in a sustainable manner and accepting our societal, political, social and environmental responsibility – both for the region and our employees as well as in an international context along the entire value chain.

Our points of focus

Sustainability of our products

Our products are durable, mostly recyclable and help the end user to work ergonomically and avoid waste.

Durable: We check the longevity of our products in our test centre. This is always in consideration of the lifespan of the kitchen into which they’re to be installed.
Recyclable:We’ve been continually increasing our rate of recycling in recent years. Nowadays, our products consist almost exclusively of recyclable materials. Our manufacturing process is optimised for the continued use of resources.
Transparent:With our pull-out systems and storage room solutions, we make it possible to keep everything in view in the kitchen and thus prevent food from being wasted.
Ergonomic: Our products facilitate working ergonomically in the kitchen and minimise physical injuries.

Our points of focus

Sustainability in production - almost three-quarters of the production material comes from Germany

To manufacture our products, we need wood, metals, plastics, chemicals and electronics. 98 percent of our suppliers for production material are based in a member state of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and 70 percent of our production material comes from Germany. This ensures transport distances are kept as short as possible and quality is high. We also consistently carry out supplier assessments to ensure our high requirements are being met, for example through supplier monitoring in the field of automotives in accordance with IATF 16949.

Use of alternative materials

Where possible, we source raw materials from sustainable sources. For example, wood: We procure it from FSC or PEFC certified forestry, among others. We try to replace solid wood. With "OrganiQ," we have developed a forward-looking composite material consisting of 68 percent rapidly renewable plant fibers, hemp and kenaf, and 25 percent of a sustainable water-based binder.

Avoiding critical substances

When processing raw materials, we check legal requirements for avoiding critical substances according to REACH, RoHS and WEEE guidelines while also complying with customer requirements.

Moulded pulp, corrugated cardboard or honeycomb panel replace Styrofoam packaging

We’re Pregis-certified. We rely on recyclable material for our packaging. For large customers we use reusable packaging. We’re constantly developing new package solutions that use less resources and are recyclable. For example, we’ve completely replaced Styrofoam with moulded pulp, corrugated cardboard or honeycomb panel. This allows us to continually save 80 tons or 3200 cubic metres of Styrofoam annually. We’re replacing PE foam foil, plastic films and bags with paper.

Sustainability in business relationships

Our company culture is characterised by integrity, trust, sincerity and fair cooperation. Our customers, business partners and employees can rely on ethical values, standards and obligations with regards to all stakeholders being upheld and implemented.