Sustainability

Enabling sustainable progress

Preserving a livable planet for future generations. This idea increasingly determines the actions and thinking at WIKA – and makes sustainability a driver for innovations.

Sustainability, as we understand it, has many facets.
It includes ecological, social and economic aspects.

Governance
In addition, we expand local cooperation, provide innovative impetus for our markets and, thanks to a high level of in-house manufacturing depth, we can control a large part of the conditions and effects of our economic activities. We offer solutions that enable others to implement efficient, and therefore resource-saving, processes.

Sustainability is teamwork – and we are committed team players. Accordingly, we want to drive forward the transformation of the economy together and preserve the beauty of our planet for future generations.

Our vision for tomorrow

WIKA’s sustainability endeavours are diverse. As part of a materiality analysis, external and internal stakeholders identified the most relevant topics for WIKA:

• emissions,
• workplace attractiveness,
• employee development and retention,
• sustainable purchasing, ecological and social practices of suppliers,
• health and safety of the employees,
• economical performance,
• innovation and development of sustainable products, and
• energy.

Taking responsibility for our environment

The protection of the climate and nature is more urgent today than ever before. As a globally active company, we are aware of our responsibility towards the environment and take this into account in our actions. Selected locations of WIKA are certified with the ISO 14001 environmental management system and the ISO 50001 energy management system. In addition, we calculate our carbon footprint and use renewable energies.

Where emissions are created

An effective lever against global warming is to reduce energy consumption and the associated emissions. Thanks to innovative technologies, certain WIKA products can save energy and thus greenhouse gas emissions during use. In its own business area, the first step in defining sensible measures to reduce emissions is the determination of the carbon footprint. Specific action plans are being implemented for the coming years with the aim of substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy consumption at WIKA

To cover the energy demand, WIKA utilises both fossil fuels and renewable energies – for example through the company’s own photovoltaic systems in Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, South Korea and India. A continuous expansion of such systems is planned and being realised.

Circular economy

Once produced, measuring instruments should be used for as long as possible. However, the recycling of defective instruments and the handling of would-be waste must also be rethought. For this reason, the focus is increasingly shifting to material cycles and greater resource efficiency.

Sustainability of products

WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG has established a comprehensive management system to ensure compliance with product-related environmental protection issues. Below are explanations of the most common topics.

1. REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EU Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006)

As a manufacturer of measuring and monitoring equipment, we do not manufacture any substances/chemicals ourselves and are therefore neither a manufacturer nor importer of chemical products in the sense of the REACH legislation. The products manufactured by the WIKA Group are considered “articles” within the meaning of the REACH regulation, and these products do not release any chemical substances under normal and reasonably foreseeable application conditions, i.e. there is no obligation to register.

In accordance with Article 33 of the REACH regulation, we have an obligation to inform on substances in products that fulfil one of the criteria in accordance with Article 57 and are therefore of particular concern. This obligation to inform is fulfilled via the delivery note. As soon as new substances are added to the candidate list, WIKA has a standard process for testing and evaluating the new substances. The information on the delivery note therefore always refers to the currently valid version of the REACH Candidate List. Please note that, depending on the REACH data received from our suppliers, the information may change.

Based on current knowledge, WIKA products are not expected to pose a health risk to your employees.

2. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – PFAS

The substance group of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) has moved increasingly into focus in recent years and months due to their persistent properties. Some PFAS substances (e.g. PFOS or PFOA) are already regulated under the REACH or POP regulation, as they are, for example, also toxic to people and the environment.

However, the longevity of the chemicals is also a reason why they are used in many products and industries. While less persistent and/or toxic substitutes have already been found for many applications in the consumer sector, their use in other industries is still indispensable. Especially in applications where a high resistance to pressure, temperature, chemicals or environmental influences is required, PFAS are currently very frequently used.

This also applies to us – in order to ensure reliable and safe processes, there are currently not enough substitutes which enable the complete substitution of PFAS. When used as intended, WIKA products do not pose any danger.

We are monitoring legislation in order to take timely action if the use of PFAS substances is restricted.

3. POP – Regulation (EU) 2019/1021

The provisions of the POP regulation prohibit the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of the substances listed in Annex 1. As a manufacturer of measuring and monitoring equipment, we do not manufacture any substances/chemicals ourselves.

These prohibitions also apply to mixtures or products containing these substances. However, we can inform you that we are currently not aware of any products or components in which the limit values specified in the POP regulation are exceeded.

4. Statement on SCIP database

We can inform you that we have already stored the relevant data in the SCIP database. Due to the large amount of data and the complexity of the entire SCIP database, it is currently not possible to pass on SCIP numbers on a large scale.

Like many other companies, we are working on further developing the data and making it available in a traceable manner in the future.

5. Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, incl. Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 (RoHS)

EEE products from WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG fulfil the requirements of the EU Directive 2011/65/EU for the substances listed in Annex II:

• Lead (Pb) – 0.1%
• Mercury (Hg) – 0.1%
• Hexavalent chromium (CrVI) – 0.1%
• Cadmium (Cd) – 0.01%
• Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) – 0.1%
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) – 0.1%
• Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) – 0.1 %
• Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) – 0.1 %
• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) – 0.1 %
• Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) – 0.1 %

This is documented by affixing the CE marking to our products and by issuing a corresponding EU declaration of conformity.

6. Conflict Minerals (EU) 2017/821

The enactment of Section 1502 of the US American Dodd-Frank Act commits listed US companies to provide proofs of origin for the raw materials tin, tantalum, tungsten, their ores and gold, and furthermore to put far-reaching auditing requirements for suppliers and material flows into practice. The aim is to make global supply chains transparent in order to reduce the financing of armed conflicts.

We are not obliged to write this comprehensive report, nevertheless WIKA would like to support its customers in their reporting obligations. We have implemented processes to verify that our suppliers meet their duty of care. We rely on information provided to us and trust that our suppliers themselves do not purchase products and components from conflict regions.

Our sources of supply consist of qualified and well-known suppliers, without exception. The supply chain checks are carried our continuously.

7. Statement on cobalt

The raw material cobalt is not included in either EU Regulation 2017/821 or the Dodd-Frank Act (Sec. 1502), which means that disclosure is not legally required and we have not yet explicitly asked our suppliers about it.

Irrespective of EU Regulation 2071/821 or comparable legal acts, WIKA has committed itself in its Code of Conduct to comply with the principles such as rejection of corruption and child labour, compliance with certain labour standards and ecological responsibility. Our suppliers are also expected to comply with these principles.

8. Material declaration – Asbestos

Asbestos consists of six naturally occurring silicate minerals. Due to its properties, it was frequently used as building material for a variety of purposes. However, it is well known that all types of asbestos fibres pose serious health risks to humans. That is why asbestos is now prohibited in most countries. In the EU, this has been the case since 2005 with Directive 2003/18/EC, now replaced by Directive 2009/148/EC, which was transposed into national law in Germany with the Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV).

We hereby confirm that we comply with the requirements of the Hazardous Substances Ordinance and that our products do not contain any asbestos.

9. Mercury – Regulation (EU) 2017/852

Mercury is a very toxic substance that poses a significant global threat to human health, ecosystems and natural flora and fauna. The regulation prohibits both import into and export from the EU of various mercury compounds. In addition, various restrictions have been established for mercury-added products.

For many years, WIKA has been actively working to replace hazardous substances from production and products and is aware of the hazards posed by mercury and mercury compounds. We can therefore assure you that we are not affected by the above-mentioned regulation, as we do not use the affected substance for our products.

10. WEEE (EU) 2012/19 and Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542

The WEEE directive ((EU) 2012/19) of the European Union aims to reduce the amount of electronic waste and to promote the reuse, recycling and environmentally sound disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. This directive obliges manufacturers, importers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment to take responsibility for the entire service life of their products.

The new EU Battery Regulation ((EU) 2023/1542) was introduced to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of battery value chains. This regulation replaces the previous Directive 2006/66/EC and includes provisions on sustainability, performance, safety, collection, recycling and second life of batteries.

We have successfully introduced the directive in our company and established a corresponding management for them.

Old WIKA instruments can be returned to us at any time and we take care of the recycling. Simply contact us at [email protected].

11. EU Deforestation Regulation – EUDR (EU) 2023/1115

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is intended to ensure that no deforestation takes place during the extraction of the relevant raw materials and that human rights and other rights are observed. Based on a careful internal analysis of the relevant products, we have concluded that only a few individual components at WIKA are relevant in terms of EUDR for production.

We are in constant contact with our suppliers and observe any changes to legal requirements. Our aim is to comply with all current and applicable laws and to comply with the requirements of the EUDR as soon as they apply to us. We check our processes regularly in order to ensure the conformity of our products.

12. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism – CBAM (EU) 2023/956

The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is a European Union instrument that aims to prevent the relocation of CO₂ emissions and create a level playing field for EU companies.

CBAM applies to certain products that have a particularly carbon-intensive manufacturing process. These products are given a carbon price when imported into the EU, which corresponds to the emission prices applicable in the EU.

CBAM is intended to ensure that companies in the EU can compete fairly, despite higher climate protection costs. To this end, CBAM certificates must be presented when importing emission-intensive goods from 2026 onwards. These will compensate for the difference between the carbon price paid in the country of production and the higher price of carbon allowances in the EU Emissions Trading System. 

We report regularly on the CO₂ emissions of the relevant imported goods in the CBAM Transitional Registry of the European Commission.

13. Product Carbon Footprint

The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) measures the greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout the entire life cycle of a product – from raw material extraction, production and transport to use and disposal. The PCF is specified in CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) and helps companies and consumers to better understand and reduce the environmental impact of their products.

The calculation of the Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) for our products is a strategic goal that we want to achieve by 2028. Initial projects for the development and validation of suitable methods are already underway. There is currently no legal obligation to disclose PCF values. Due to the complexity and effort involved, we are currently unable to respond to customer-specific enquiries regarding PCF. As soon as reliable and verified data are available, we will communicate it transparently and in a standardised form.

People at WIKA

We are committed to trusting working conditions and supplier relationships and offer a wide range of opportunities for professional and personal development.

Occupational health and safety

We are committed to a sustainably healthy and safe working environment. The implementation of all legal requirements is targeted at the effective prevention of accidents and health hazards of employees. The superiors are responsible for occupational safety and health protection. The company management provides the necessary resources for this. Superiors and employees are equally involved in the continual improvement of occupational safety and health protection. . There is a particular focus on safety of machinery. In addition, preventative measures and individual risk assessments at the individual sites keep health protection high. Selected locations have a certification in accordance with the ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management system. You can find out exactly how we implement this in our sustainability report.

For better health, each subsidiary offers a wide range of services such as health checks, nutritional advice, sports programmes and mental health services. Sporting events are also an important part of our activities. In Poland, for example, an annual volleyball tournament has become established. Our headquarters in Klingenberg am Main regularly hosts the WIKA relay marathon, attracting numerous employees from all over the world.

Safeguarding human rights

Human dignity shall be inviolable – therefore humane working conditions are a basic requirement. The WIKA Code of Conduct prohibits any form of forced, compulsory or child labour. Further information on the subject of human rights at WIKA can be found in our policy statement. Abuses within the company must be reported immediately.

Training and further education as a success factor

Whether ATEX training, IT training or language courses – we promote the skills and talents of our employees. For this, we offer themed training programmes as well as personnel development measures. We also develop customised concepts for specific qualification requirements. We also encourage employees to take the initiative and subsidise proposed training courses.

Great challenges require good leadership

Making interests visible and representing them

To protect the rights and interests of our employees, we have set out the right to collective bargaining and freedom of association in our Code of Conduct (CoC) in accordance with the laws of the respective country. At the Klingenberg headquarters, for example, a works council represents the collective interests of the employees. WIKA also uses association work to represent the company’s interests – and therefore the interests of its employees – to the outside world.