RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN AND PRODUCTS

Consumers are critical these days. They now ask more questions before purchasing than they used to. They want to know: where was the product produced, by whom and under what conditions? What materials is it made of? And can it be recycled afterwards? How efficiently does the machine operate? Kärcher takes these consumer interests seriously, responds to questions and has the right answers. This is because Kärcher is not only the market leader in cleaning technology but also a benchmark in terms of sustainability.

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ISO-14001 Map

Certified plants - worldwide

Through compliance with the standard, defined goals in relation to the company's environmental performance can be achieved, with processes being continuously improved.

ISO 14001 certification at Kärcher

ISO 14001 is a globally recognised environmental management standard. Through compliance with the standard, defined goals in relation to the company's environmental performance should be achieved.

[1] USA: Camas, Englewood
[2] Mexico: Monterrey
[3] Brazil: Vinhedo
[4] Germany: Winnenden, Schwaikheim, Illingen, Gissigheim, Obersontheim, LZ Obersontheim, Bühlertal, Duisburg (WOMA), Waldstetten (Ringler)
[5] Italy: Quistello, Montereale Valcellina, Volpiano, Reggio Emilia
[6] China: Changshu

ISO 9001 certification at Kärcher

ISO 9001 is a globally recognised quality management standard. Through compliance with the standard, the quality of our products is consistently ensured.

[1] USA: Camas, Englewood
[2] Mexico: Monterrey
[3] Brazil: Vinhedo
[4] Germany: Winnenden, Schwaikheim, Illingen, Gissigheim, Obersontheim, LZ Obersontheim, Bühlertal, Duisburg (WOMA), Waldstetten (Ringler)
[5] Italy: Quistello, Montereale Valcellina, Volpiano, Reggio Emilia, Correggio
[6] China: Changshu

ISO 50001 certification at Kärcher

ISO 50001 is a globally recognised energy management standard. Through compliance with the standard, the energy efficiency of our products and at our production facilities is continuously improved.

[4] Germany: Winnenden, Schwaikheim, Illingen, Gissigheim, Obersontheim, LZ Obersontheim, Bühlertal, Duisburg (WOMA), Waldstetten (Ringler)

 


Energy Efficiency Signed and Sealed

Kärcher offers its customers machines with which they can clean while saving energy and conserving resources. They undergo rigorous testing in our laboratories. With the eco!efficiency product line for professional operators, we have developed a particularly environmentally friendly and highly efficient range of products.

 

Ahead of its time

The responsible use of valuable resources such as water and energy is a priority at Kärcher. This is why our products were, years ago, already meeting the environmental standards which the European Union is due to enforce in 2017. As of September 2014, vacuum cleaners in the EU may not exceed a power input of 1,600 watts; in 2017, this value will be even further reduced to 900 watts. When they were introduced onto the market in 2013, our eco!efficiency dry vacuum cleaners for the cleaning of buildings already had a power input of only 750 watts and thus consumed 40 percent less energy while providing 98 per cent of the cleaning power of the basic unit.

 

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In-house laboratory testing

In order to reliably ensure the required values for dry vacuum cleaners for the household and professional markets in the long run, Kärcher is one of the few companies in Germany to have established its own ErP laboratory (ErP = Energyrelated Product) for dry vacuum cleaners. At the laboratory, not only is the energy use during cleaning measured but dust emissions, the quantity of dust particles that are released into the ambient air from the machine, are also under scrutiny.

Noise pollution

Although we usually only notice an excessively high energy use when reading the electricity bill, we experience unpleasant or loud sounds immediately. Noise emissions are therefore also an important aspect which we include in the development of our products from the very beginning. Therefore, a reduction of 10 dB (A) is already perceived by operators as a 50 per cent reduction in the noise level. Because of this, our dry vacuum cleaners are ideally suited for longer operating periods and noise-sensitive areas such as hotels, nursing homes or hospitals.


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Numerous scrubber driers are equipped with the particularly energy-efficient eco!efficiency mode. This machine cleans with a lower blower power, reduced cleaning agent consumption and a lower brush speed; therefore, it can be operated for longer and is quieter and more energy efficient. Up to 50 per cent can be saved on energy and water, with impressive cleaning results at the push of a button.

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The vacuum cleaner field test of the “Power Saving Initiative” campaign in November of 2014 confirmed that the Kärcher VC 6 Premium makes a contribution to climate protection. As the machine with the lowest wattage in the test, it achieved the highest rating in five out of nine categories, prevailing over five other brands/models with wattages of up to 1,000 watts.

HDS

The European Association EUnited Cleaning has certified the burners for Kärcher hot water high-pressure cleaners as efficient and environmentally friendly. The high level of effectiveness and the low soot and carbon monoxide emissions were decisive factors for the certification in 2015.


Focus on the Supply Chain

Purchasing from A to Z

“We procure computers for of.ces and consulting services for legal issues, as well as advertising ideas and company vehicles,” explains Dieter Grajer, Managing Director Operations. “First and foremost, however, are raw materials such as steel, aluminium and plastic, product parts or fully assembled components for our machines, to which we pay special attention because we have the entire life cycle of a product in view.” The suppliers come from all continents of the world where Kärcher also has production sites: Europe, the Americas, Asia and, in particular, China.

 

Lifecycle Management for products

Anyone wanting to be a Kärcher supplier has to meet strict criteria. We continually conduct our own quality, environmental and process audits and company visits, especially with suppliers of production material. So far, we have managed to identify potential suppliers and their performance through various software solutions. Since 2013, Kärcher has made great efforts to harmonise purchasing within the group. The changeover to a unified system platform will take place in 2016.

The Supplier Lifecycle Management SAP (SAP SLC) covers all steps of the relationship with the suppliers: from registration to proof of qualification and classification to the development of suppliers and management of master data. In this way, the processes are more transparent, costs are reduced and relationships with suppliers are more sustainable.

 

High global standards

“Companies that apply for supplier status are not only required to sign the Kärcher Code of Conduct and the Kärcher Environmental Standard but also to answer a whole series of questions,” says Heiko Braitmaier, Executive Vice President Sourcing & Procurement Management. As a market leader, Kärcher feels obliged to de mand the same high social standards for the employees and workers in supplier factories that apply to its employees in Germany. Fair wages are just as important as the workers’ rights to free speech and assembly and their freedom of association. We are guided by the ten principles of the UN Global Compact.

 

Raising the bar

In future, there will be no way to avoid this test system due to the new unified platform. The new people in charge of the local and global SLC processes can see the status of a supplier at any time and at any location with system support – a quantum leap which serves to ensure sustainable quality assurance.

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Plastic – Quality and Recycling

For several years, Kärcher has been partially replacing the steel in its cleaning machines with high-quality plastic. Polypropylene (PP) is more flexible and offers more design flexibility than steel, but it still has a high chemical resistance and is suitable for continuous outdoor use.

 

Compliance with rules

Plastic parts, which are both manufactured in our own production facilities and purchased from outside suppliers, are regularly checked for defective materials. The EU regulations RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) are authoritative for this. The RoHS Directive is designed to reduce hazardous substances in electronic waste such as heavy metals in plastics; REACH concerns the risk assessment of chemicals.

Voluntary commitment

As a pioneer, Kärcher has gone well beyond the prescribed limits for compliance. The company strives to completely avoid potentially hazardous substances of its own volition. “If we, for example as with plastic cables, cannot dispense entirely with plasticisers, we look for alternatives, even if they are expensive,” explains Axel Leschtar, Specialist for Environmental Management, regarding Kärcher’s approach.

Recycling plastic waste

In 2013, Kärcher also began to develop a procedure with which the defective parts that inevitably accrue in the production of plastics can be reused in our own production facility. “For two years, we have extensively tested the possibilities of plastic recycling in laboratory tests, with resounding success,” declares Plant Manager Carsten Schlenker proudly at the parent plant in Winnenden. “In 2015 alone, we avoided disposing of 78 drums of black standard polypropylene which, instead, were fed back into the Kärcher production process as granules.”

Ecologically sustainable production

The rejects are milled in our own plastic mill and mixed with new material in optimal proportions for parts production. The high-quality granulate obtained in this manner can easily be processed again in an injection moulding machine, e.g. for the chassis or other machine parts for high-pressure cleaners. “So we not only protect the environment in a sustainable manner but also reduce costs in relation to purchasing,” says Carsten Schlenker, summarising the advantages.


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The defective parts are processed into granulate by a service provider.

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Recycled plastic (dark colour) is reused as granules in production.

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In this way, new product parts are made of the recycled material.


Our achievements so far

Combined heat and power unit

Combined heat and power unit at the head office in Winnenden

At our site in Winnenden, a combined heat and power unit provides the heating required. A 4-stroke gasoline engine operated with natural gas generates electricity by means of a connected generator. The heat generated by operation of the motor is fed into a water circuit and used to heat the premises. Thanks to the coupling of power and water generation, the efficiency of the power plant is very high at 87%.

Savings:

  • 700 tonnes of CO2 annually
  • Reduction in CO2 of 56% compared with gas heating

 

Wood chip heating plant in Obersontheim

In Obersontheim, a wood chip heating plant is used as an equally environmentally-friendly type of heating. In this heating plant, natural waste wood from regional forestry is heated; during combustion, it is CO2-neutral. With the generated heat, water from the heating circuit in the wood chip heating system's boiler is heated. The warm water is stored in a low-loss warm water storage tank until it is consumed. Compared to conventional oil heating, a wood chip heating system can save a lot of CO2. The CO2 emissions of the wood chip heating system are 35 g per kilowatt hour, whereas the value for heating oil is 303 g.

Savings:

  • 340,000 litres of heating oil annually
  • 1,000 tonnes of CO2 annually

 

 

 

Woodchip
Solar installation

Solar plant in Winnenden

Thanks to the solar plant in Winnenden, around 95,500 kilowatt hours of electricity are generated annually. This is the equivalent of the annual power needs of six single-family homes. The operator of this photovoltaic power plant is S.A.G. Solarstrom AG in Freiburg. Kärcher is providing the roof area free of charge for 20 years and sharing the costs of the system.

Savings:

  • 60 tonnes of CO2 annually

 


Environmental information.

Sustainability 1

Information on the disposal of old electrical appliances:

Environmentally sound products, services and processes are embedded in our corporate mission statement. Therefore, we also meet the requirements of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) in Germany and notify you as our customer of the following.

Old electrical appliances shall not be disposed of with household waste. Consumers are required by law to bring them to a suitable collection point at the retailer or the community. You can also return your old devices free of charge in every Kärcher Center and in our Kärcher dispatch warehouse.

Please note that commercially used electrical and electronic equipment (B2B), shall not be disposed of via municipal collection schemes. We will be pleased to inform you about suitable disposal options.

Please remove batteries and accumulators as far as possible and dispose of them as described under "Information on Battery Law". For devices with data storage, you are required to delete personal data.

The garbage bin symbol means: Old electrical appliances shall not be disposed of with household waste. Old equipment may contain harmful substances that can harm the environment and health. Old appliances are recycled, they contain important raw materials.

REPIC

Responsible Recycling

Rather than let valuable or harmful waste and scarce raw materials go to landfill, REPIC’s role is to recover, collect and transport used electrical goods and batteries to specialist treatment plants, where the various component materials can be salvaged and handled safely and converted into new usable raw materials.


Industrial Batteries

 

As a producer of industrial batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, we Karcher UK Ltd produce Lead Acid and Lithium-Ion batteries. We are obliged to take back free of charge, waste industrial batteries supplied to an end user for treatment and recycling. We are required to do this in any calendar year we place new industrial batteries on the market. If any of our customers or in certain cases other end users, require us to take back Industrial batteries, they should contact us at service.commercial@karcher.co.uk. We will agree the necessary arrangements for the return, proper treatment and recycling of the waste industrial batteries.


Automotive batteries

 

As a producer of automotive batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, we Karcher UK Ltd are obliged to collect, free of charge and within a reasonable time, waste automotive batteries for treatment and recycling from final holders e.g. garages, scrap yards, end-of-life vehicle Authorised Treatment Facilities, Civic Amenity Sites, etc. We are required to do this in any calendar year we place new automotive batteries on the market.

If you require us to take back any automotive batteries, please contact us at service.commercial@karcher.co.uk. We will agree the necessary arrangements for the collection, proper treatment and recycling of the waste automotive batteries.


REACH

We follow the requirement to supply information in compliance with §33. Immediately after publication of the first candidate list on 28 October 2008, we contacted our suppliers to obtain the required information. We respond promptly to additions to the candidate list.

According to the information available to us, almost all Kärcher products contain components in which lead (CAS 7439-92-1) is used as an alloying element, e.g. brass, in concentrations greater than 0.1%. If used in accordance with the designated use, no danger to health or the environment emanates from these substances. The use of these substances is in accordance with applicable provisions of statute. Safety instructions are not required.

Should you require further information, please contact us.

REACH

ErP Ecodesign Directive

For information on EU Regulation 666/2013 regarding ecodesign requirements for vacuum cleaners, Appendix 1, point 2(b) on information to be provided by manufacturers, please contact your local Kärcher service partner.