Commitment

Environmental commitment

Kocher Industrieautomation sets an example for ecological awareness

Protecting the environment and climate is also an important internal aspect, as is the economical use of energy. It is the little things that contribute to the big picture: of course, we separate waste and use biological cleaning agents wherever possible. In the near future, we want to integrate more and more control options for lighting and heating in our offices so as to use resources even more carefully. A charging station is available for the company's own electric cars and those of our visitors.

We value environmental and energy management in addition to operational environmental protection very highly – regular internal audits for further improvement potential are therefore a matter of course.

Naturally, we integrate sustainability
into our daily life

Avoiding waste

For us, it goes without saying that we avoid waste as far as possible and reduce secondary packaging. We replace plastic with renewable, reusable raw materials.

Reducing pollution and noise

We try to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible by reducing business travel to an absolute minimum and decreasing the number of on-site visits to customers through our virtual commissioning. We cut delivery distances by preferring direct transport to end customers whenever possible. To motivate our employees to use public transport, we offer them job tickets.

The wide variety of plants in our offices improves the indoor air and reduces noise pollution.

Using energy economically

We try to use as little energy as possible and work with light control systems. Electric devices are automatically switched off after they have been in stand-by mode for a certain time.

Our office building uses heat from the local geothermal plant.

Protecting water and ground

We minimize our water consumption by water-saving flushes, and use biodegradable cleaning agents in all areas. Our infrequently used stationery consists of 100% recycled paper, and our printers run on certified toners that have been tested for harmful substances.

Nature conservation and biodiversity

When it comes to reforesting, you can count on us. With planting campaigns, we give our employees the chance to play an active role in saving the forest and thus reducing our and their carbon footprint.

Recycling

We only produce unavoidable waste and recycle it properly.

Light

We use lighting control systems and motion detectors and do not use outdoor lighting so as not to contribute to light pollution.

In a campaign with SDW Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald – LV Bayern e.V. Stiftung “Wir helfen dem Wald” [Protective Association German Forest – State Association Bavaria “We help the forest”], we planted 1.000 beech trees

Forests are one of the world's greatest treasures and suffer most from climate change. After the oceans, they have the greatest influence on our climate. In Germany, the forest is the first loser of global warming – but at the same time, it is our biggest chance to do something about the climate crisis. The damaged areas must be reforested so that we can build up a resilient mixed forest. With our planting campaign, we want to help support the forests and inspire our employees and their environment to care for them. (www.sdw-bayern.de)

We take a variety of measures to reduce our carbon footprint

We only replace company vehicles after an average period of five to ten years or due to technological innovations.

We provide employees with new cell phones after three years at the earliest; we give the old ones to specialist companies for recycling.

We only replace PC monitors after about five years or if more energy-efficient models with lower emissions make sense.

When buying laptops, we always purchase energy-efficient models.

We use our furniture for as long as possible.

We operate the server structure both in-house and externally so that we can switch off unused resources.

Social commitment

For us, social commitment has always been a matter of course.

We support youth sports, as it promotes integration and communication, and also the Münchner Tafel – poverty can happen to anyone. We are also active in helping refugees and collect clothing, small furnishings, and whatever else is needed at our office. We pass the items on to the appropriate places by arrangement. Every year, there is a different focus, depending on the situation. One example is the Trösterbären® for children, which offer comfort during first aid after accidents, hospital trips, etc. We also regularly provide assistance to various animal welfare organizations – not least, our office dogs are former street dogs.

Contributing to animal welfare

We made donations to:

Die Stiftung Vier Pfoten [Foundation Four Paws]
Animal welfare organization Humane Society International Europe
Veto-Tierschutz- Europas Stimme für den Tierschutz [VETO – Europe’s vote for animal welfare]