SCHWALBE PUBLISHES FIRST CSR REPORT
OWN CLIMATE BALANCE SHEET AND SPECIFIC GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEARS
SCHWALBE CSR REPORT 2021
Ralf Bohle GmbH with the Schwalbe brand has published its first CSR report. In this way, the family company wants to create transparency, formulate concrete, measurable goals and anchor the topic of ecological and social responsibility holistically in the company. The CSR report for 2021 has informational character and at the same time should serve as an inspiration for the bicycle industry to further expand its responsibility.
The CSR report is based on the Sustainability Reporting Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI Standards). The specifications of these internationally recognized guidelines make it possible to standardize and compare all sustainability issues between different companies, including those outside the bicycle industry.
CEO Frank Bohle: “Anyone who offers products for climate-friendly mobility should act sustainably themselves. This is what we demand of our corporate responsibility. We aim to achieve our business goals with less use of resources and less environmental impact. In order to achieve this, we want to inspire and involve as many partners as possible. Our vision is to create lasting economic, ecological and social added value.”
The basis for the Schwalbe understanding of ecological responsibility is based on the circular economy according to the cradle-to-cradle principle. From the outset, products and processes are designed in such a way that all materials can be recycled after use and no waste is produced. One example of this is the Schwalbe Recycling System - after seven years of tube recycling, used tires have been recycled since the summer of 2022 and used for new Schwalbe products. A worldwide unique project.
SPECIFIC GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEARS
Schwalbe has set itself ambitious goals and defined four strategic fields of action in which these are to be achieved: products, company, supply chain and social issues. A selection of destinations:
- In 2023, the first production tire made with the rCB obtained from tire recycling is to be presented (Product)
- By 2026, Schwalbe plans to recycle 14 million tires and 15 million inner tubes (product)
- All unavoidable flight emissions will be offset from 2022 by financing certified development and climate protection projects in the production countries (company)
- In the company headquarters in Germany, 100% renewable energy should be used from 2025 (company)
- To start the supply chain transparency project, Schwalbe joins the Responsible Sports Initiative (RSI) in 2022 (supply chain)
- A major goal in the supply chain area is the expansion of the Fair Rubber program. The number of members is to be increased by over 700% by 2023
- In the area of social affairs, Schwalbe plans to set up its own children's council in 2022 as part of a joint project with Children e.V
FIRST OWN CLIMATE BALANCE
In 2021, Schwalbe collected its own carbon footprint for the company headquarters in Germany for the first time. This resulted in emissions of 1,351.84 tons of CO2e. Compared to the base year 2018, there was a reduction of over 1,100 tons. The savings in the areas of material, mobility and energy have made a significant contribution to this success. The company would like to build on this in the coming years and reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 2018.
Felix Jahn, CSR manager: “With the publication of the first CSR report, we are reaching a milestone because we are transparently disclosing where we are at Schwalbe and where we want to be in accordance with GRI standards. 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 influences. Our goals are ambitious, but our tire recycling shows that we can overcome difficult hurdles as a team.”
FAIR RUBBER
Schwalbe has been cooperating with Fair Rubber e.V. since 2019. Together, both are committed to fair trade in natural rubber and actively support improving the living and working conditions of rubber tappers. Although 70% of the natural rubber traded worldwide is used in the tire industry, Schwalbe is so far the first and only tire manufacturer to be a member and dedicated to the topic holistically.
SCHWALBE RECYCLING SYSTEM
After the tube recycling program, which is still unique today, has been running for seven years and more than seven million tubes have been recycled, Schwalbe officially started its tire recycling this year.
Schwalbe is the only manufacturer in the world to date that takes back its used bicycle tires in order to reuse the secondary raw materials produced in a complex thermochemical pyrolysis process in the manufacture of new products. The process saves around 80 percent CO2 compared to the usual incineration. The Schwalbe Recycling System currently has around 950 participants from specialist retailers, and the number is growing every day.
Further information
Schwalbe UK LTD
Press Office
Hortonwood 30 | Shropshire TF1 7ET Telford
Phone: +441952602680 | press@schwalbe.com
www.schwalbe.com/en